ills 




MMMi 



THE 



Relation of Food to Health 
and Premature Death 



By GEO. H. TOWNSEND, LL.B., 

With the C n of 

FELIX J. LEVY, A.M., M.D. 
H. G. NICKS, M.D., 

Lecturer on ITy a tms Coll cine; Attending 

Phytician Won ! ' D*P*rt- 

»t Y. M. C.A., 8t. Lou 

AND 

GEO. CLINTON CRANDALL, B. S. M, D. 

Professor of General Medicine, Marion Sims 
College of Medicine >is. 



ST. LOUIS, MO. 
Witt Publishing Co.mf 



44367 



Copyright 
By GEO. H. TOWNSEND 

1896 1898 



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(( '■ 2 1 1 



•eCOND COPY 



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PREFACE, 

This is an age of wonderful strides in production, but 
we fear that man, in improving everything else, has, in 
a great measure lost sight of himself. To the scientist 
who understands something of the wonderful development 
of nature, when free from hindrance, there is nothing so 
utterly astonishing as the weakness and folly of the hu- 
man race. Believing that ignorance of self is the mother 
of our devouring evils — disease, vice and crime — the 
author, with the assistance of his collaborators, has un- 
dertaken to blaze out a road to a better and higher life, 
and however painstaking the effort, it would be too much 
to expect that our labors would produce results that ap- 
proached the ideal. It is hoped, however, that this book 
will be of service in pointing out the devious windings 
into which appetite and surrounding influences often al- 
lure the thoughtless — resulting in their discomfiture and 
premature death. 

Physical, mental and moral perfection can only ex- 
ist when our lives come into harmony with natural laws, 
and when we cease to antagonize nature, the work will 
be done. 

If we have made plain the most common transgres 
sions of nature and how to minimize their effects, our pur- 
pose will have been accomplished. 

Geo. H. Townsend. 
St. Louis, Mo., July, 1897. 



PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION. 



Since the first issue of this book there has not 
beerwsufficient new facts developed to warrant extensive 
changes in the second edition. The most extensive addi- 
tion is that on rheumatism. Other slight changes modify 
the text somewhat, but are mainly typographical. 

The favor accorded the first edition, and the good it 
is doing, is highly gratifying. 

December 1898, G .H. T. 



CONTENTS. 

Chapter. Pa S eS ' 

I. Introduction - 1-1 ^ 

II. Digestive Organs and Processes of 

Digestion .... 14-40 

III. Classification of Foods - - - 41-43 

IV. Water .... 44-51 
V. Bread, Wheat Foods - - - 53-74 

VI. Rye, Corn Breads, Corn Foods, 

Buckwheat - 75_8 ° 

VII. Oats, Barley - 81 " 89 

VIII. Potato, Sweet Potato, Rice - 91-97 

IX. Peas, Beans, Lentils, Asparagus, 
Tapioca, Sago,Cabbage, Cauli- 
flower, Beets, etc. - - - 99-110 

X. Tomato, Lettuce, Celery, Greens 

Onions, Pumpkins, Radish, Rhu- 
barb, Cucumbers, Melons - - 111-123 

XI. Sugar 125-128 

XII. Vegetable vs. Animal Foods - - 129-135 

XIII. Animal Foods, Milk, Cream, Butter 

Butter-milk, Cheese, Milk Food 137-150 

XIV. Meat, Beef, Viscera, Mutton, Veal 151-160 
XV. Pork, Fowl, Fish, Shell Fish, Egg, 

p a t 161-173 

XVI. Fruit, Apple, Peach, Pear, Quince, 

Grape 175-190 

XVII. Plum, Cherry, Berries, Banana, 

Lemon, Orange, Date, Figs, 

Cocoanut, Nut Foods - - 191-206 

XVIII. Condiments, Drinks - - - 207-223 
XIX. Infant Feeding - 225-243 

XX. Diet in Puberty - - - 245-256 



CONTENTS. 

XXI. Dietetic Errors and Dietaries - - 257-275 

XXII. Composition of Foods - - - 277-286 

XXIII. Idiosyncrasies and Idiosyncrasia - 281-298 

XXIV. Causes and Significance of Pain - 299-305 
XXV. Feeding the Sick and Diet in Acute 

Diseases 307-314 

XXVI. Causes of Indigestion - - - '315-334 
XXVII. Diseases of the Stomacn - - - 335-355 
XXVIII* Diseases of the Intestines, Pancreas 

and Liver ... - 357-373 

XXIX. Chronic Diseases, Kidney, Diabetes 
Tuberculosis, Heart, Blood Ves- 
sels, Rickets, Anaemia, Asth- 
ma, Leanness, Obesity, Head- 
ache - - ' - - - - 375-375 

XXX. Acute Diseases, Cold, Malaria, Scar- 
let Fever, Diphtheria, Hemorrh- 
age, Measles, Pneumonia, Skin 
diseases, Yellow Fever, Blood 
Poisoning, Whooping Cough, 
Scrofula, Pleurisy, Erysipelas, 
Apoplexy, Mumps, Lockjaw, Ty- 
phoid Fever, Influenza - - 397-414 

XXXI. Accidents and Emergencies - - 415-422 



CHAPTER l. 

AFFLICTIONS AND PREMATURE DEATH RESULT FROM 

IGNORANCE. 

Each age has its philanthropists, those who toil not 
merely for their own aggrandizement, but for the better- 
ing, the uplifting of the human race. These make the 
world better for having lived in it, Such ought to be the 
desire of every person, and while it is sad to say that it is 
not the fact, this is truly an age in which proportionately 
more people are interested in the welfare of the race than 
at any period in the history of the world. It ought there- 
fore to naturally follow, that the world should now be 
making greater strides towards ideal conditions than ever 
before. Perhaps we are doing this; but it is a matter 
which many well informed people would gravely question. 
No doubt but that all will agree, that no movement has 
ever been inaugurated for the elevation of man, which 
shows results commensurate with the effort expended. 
Why is this? There can be but one answer; it is because 
all efforts of every kind and character have been directed 
toward relieving, curing or reforming the individual; 
whereas, had all the efforts of even ten generations been 
directed toward preventing evil and disease we would now 
have an ideal race; but this would require a volume of it- 
self, whereas the object sought, is to call attention to, and 
emphasize the fact that, it is ignorance of the laws 
governing our physical existence, creation, birth, 
and living, that makes reform movements necessary- 
movements which seek merely to overcome results of 
forces without dealing with their causes. This would be 
denied by nearly every man or woman engaged in trying 
to reform the world. 



2 INTRODUCTORY 

To illustrate; there are three ways of dealing with 
drunkenness: 

(1) Drugs or dipsomania cures. 
) (2) Moral influences, signing the pledge, etc. 

(3) Prohibition — restraint by law. 

Now the advocates of each of these methods claim 
that they deal with the causes of drunkenness, and yet 
men will not stay cured, nor keep the pledge, neither will 
they regard the law, and it is a lamentable fact that the 
army of drunkards is being constantly recruited from the 
families of the most zealous temperance advocates of the 
country. Something is wrong; for neither drugs, moral 
suasion nor law, have succeeded in arresting drunkeness, 
because the diet and habits of the people cause them to 
transmit nervous tendencies to each generation, and these 
are continually crying out for stimulation of some kind. 

The truth of the matter is that most reformers have 
ignored the fact, that the body, to a great extent, controls the 
mind, and therefore, the conduct. We are animals, without 
the governing instincts of brutes, and so limited in reason and 
knowledge, as to be unable to properly regulate our conduct. 
A man born under proper conditions, and given correct 
knowledge of living, will need neither moral suasion nor 
prohibition to keep him from the liquor habit, and so far 
as this world is concerned, will not need any reform 
movement, or dread of future punishment to make him a 
good citizen. 

Some years ago, the writer became profoundly 
interested in social and economic questions and 
the elevation of the race through popular edcuation, 
especially on the principles of living and the proper rela- 
tion of the individual to society. After studying every 
phase of human conditions and character, he became im- 
bued with the belief that more good could be accomplish- 



THE FIRST INTERVIEW 3 

ed by teaching the people the principles governing their 
physical existence than could be done in any other way. 
In order to bring this knowledge to them, all sources of in- 
formation have been sought, and especially from those phy- 
sicians whose training and experience warrant them in 
speaking with some degree of assurance. The facts ob- 
tained from all sources are given as one interview. 

Venturing forth in quest of knowledge, the book- 
maker sought the most learned specialists who have made 
a life study of food in its relation to health and disease. 
The first interview with a distinguished specialist in dis- 
eases of the stomach began with the explanation that the 
bookmaker was desirous of dispelling some of the dark- 
ness in which our physical existence is enveloped. 
"That," replied the doctor "is a great task, and worthy 
of the best effort that can be given it." 

WKERE ALL OUR ILLS COME FROM. 

i 

"Some people declare that the masses cannot be 

moved to a more rational mode of living." 

"That is worse than the facts warrant, for there are 
people who are really anxious to learn more about the 
principles which govern their existence." 

"But isn't it also true that many people don't care to 
know anything?" 

"Yes, and it is a strange thing that people are will- 
ing to suffer pain, lose the time of being sick, and then 
have to pay their money to doctors, when it could all be 
avoided." 

"If that be true, what will become of the doctors?" 

"Oh well, the people could better afford to pay the 
doctors to keep them well like the Chinese than have to 
pay them and be sick; but when the people learn that 
their ills do not come from God, or from Adam, or even 



4 INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY 

from nature, and learn that they are mostly self inflicted, 
or at farthest, come from their parents, they will learn 
how to dispense with both physic and physician/ ' . 

"That's a good deal to say." 

"Yes/' said the doctor, "but I do not hesitate to 
say that it is not more than the truth." 

"How could the people be brought to such a condi- 
tion? 

"They must first realize their individual responsibil- 
ity." 

"How can they be brought to that?" 

"By presenting facts to them in a clear and forcible 
manner, which we will do. Now suppose I say, that 
practically every person commits suicide, and that a great 
many also commit manslaughter." 

"If you did I should say that you were either jesting 
or crazy." 

j "But it is a fact, which I will prove. Let me ask 
you what would happen if you were to drive recklessly 
through the streets and in doing so run over several peo- 
ple and maim or kill them?" 

"I would be arrested for manslaughter." 

"Yes, and it would make no difference, except in the 
degree of punishment, whether you did it wilfully or 
negligently, you would be liable both civilly and crimi- 
nally for injuring or killing another in such a manner. 
Now suppose your family had typhoid fever, and you 
should throw out some excrement and poison the well or 
stream from which your neighbor is supplied and sickness 
or death results, (which has occurred thousands of times) 
would it not be just as bad as to negligently kill him by 
an infectious disease, as to kill him by negligently running 
over him?" 



RESULTS OF NEGLIGENCE 5 

"Yes, I suppose it would, only the proof more diffi- 
cult." 

"But that does not alter the fact, nor atone for the 
criminality of negligently spreading infectious diseases 
and death, which is continually being done, but this is 
not worse than other life destroying negligence which is 
even more appalling in effect." 

"I can not deny your facts nor your conclusions, for 
they are overwhelming," 

"Let me give you another illustration. A friend of 
mine was called to see a child four years old who had a 
serious intestinal disorder. The child was soon convales- 
cent, and the doctor said his visits need not continue, but 
at the same time cautioned the parents to be exceedingly 
careful about the child's diet for 'two or three weeks.' " 

"What happened?" 

"Well, the day after the doctor's last visit the family 
had sourkrout for dinner and allowed the child to eat 
all it wanted under the belief that it would not hurt it." 

"And that probably killed it." 

"Yes, it was taken ill at once and the doctor called, 
but when he found what it had eaten, and the condition 
the child was in, he bluntly told its parents that they 
had killed their child." 

"That was certainly a most distressing thing for the 
parents." 

"So it was, but not worse than occurs in nearly 
every family, although it may not be quite so immediate- 
ly apparent." 

"I suppose they excuse themselves on the ground 
that they did not know any better?" 

"Very likely, but that is a poor excuse, for the know- 
ledge could have been obtained. This suggests the ques- 
tion: Is a person who is so careless and indifferent to 



6 SUICIDE— DURATION OF LIFE 

things pertaining to life and health, that he kills some one 
less culpable than one who negligently takes life in some 
other way?" 

* 'Doctor you put things so strongly, I think you 
could almost arouse the dead, and yet every word you 
have said is true." 

"But what I have said only relates to the injury in- 
flicted on others, and bad as it may seem, self-destruction 
is far more common and its effects almost endless J J 

"You don't say! What are you trying to make me 
believe we are?" 

"Oh, don't get excited, for I want to bring out an- 
other point by asking you a question." 

"What is it?" 

"How would you define suicide?" 

"Well if one wilfully destroys his life, by making it 
shorter than nature intended, that would be suicide." 
) "It would make no difference whether the method 
was quick or slow, would it?" 

"No, if it did it would be making a distinction with- 
out a difference." 

"Now I suppose that everyone will admit that the 
moral law is higher than the law of the state, and if it 
recognizes neglige nce„that injures another, the same as if 
wilfully done, the moral responsibility must be equally 
great. Here is another thing, it must be true, that each 
individual exists for a purpose, and if so who can measure 
the wrong of thwarting nature, by cutting off the natur- 
al term of life?" 

"Doctor, you have proven that self-destruction is 
universal, and now you have gone farther and proven 
that it is practically suicide." 

"Yes; wrongs are great or small in proportion to 
their effect, and it is difficult to see wherein an untimely 



INCONSISTENCY OF HUMAN CONDUCT 7 

death from one cause, that could have been avoided, is 
not as bad as from any other. 

If the laws of our being were not so grossly violated 
one hundred years would be an average duration of life, 
and a hundred and fifty years not uncommon. The or- 
dinary diseases of life should be wholly unknown, and 
though it may shock our slumbering senses, the facts make 
it necessary to say, that we take our own lives and are 
none the less culpable, because we do it ignorantly— the 
ignorance of negligence and careless indifference.' ' 

"That is good reasoning, and it is very strange that 
no one has ever written of it before." 

"Yes it is, and the quotation from Shakespeare's Mid- 
Summer Night's Dream: 'what fools these mortals be' 
might be aptly applied. Just think, a young man will 
spend six or eight years in a university studying every- 
thing in the heavens and on earth except how to live, 
and if he doesn't kill himself before he finishes a course 
at college, he frequently does so in a few years after- 
wards. Here is another curious fact, a mother will sac- 
rifice her life for the welfare of her child, but before it 
was born, she did not think it worth while to endow such 
vigor and character on her babe as to make it fit to live, 
and though she may love her infant babe far beyond any 
' feeling that could be suggested by words, the chances are 
one to Jive that she will kill it before it is a year old by im- 
proper feeding . ' ' 

"Then you are a believer in the scriptural text that 
the iniquity of parents shall be visited unto the third 
and fourth generations." 

"Yes, in a measure that is true, but not absolutely; 
that is, not all iniquities are transmitted. Nature con- 
stantly strives to correct the mistakes which injure. 
Were it otherwise, the weaknesses and vices continually 



8 LACK OF KNOWLEDGE 

taken up by each generation would soon extinguish the 
race, if none were cut off." 

"What is the chief factor in producing the physical 
and moral imperfections of the race, doctor?" 

"Well, part of our present social evils are no doubt 
due to false economic conditions, but if every individual 
was born right and properly educated even these would 
disappear." 

"But as things now exist there must be other great 
factors besides economic ones that affect the individual." 

"Yes, many things affect his existence, such as ex- 
ercise, ventilation, sanitation, clothing, and each are so 
important, that thousands of lives are annually sacrificed 
because the natural laws of which they are a part, are 
violated; but while these affect many, the most important 
thing of all is food; it affects the whole world." 

"Since you speak of it, I realize the force of what you 
say, for I asked a teacher about the quantity and proper 
proportions of the ordinary foods that would be required 
for health and vigor and he couldn't tell. He said the 
physiologies and books of hygiene only gave a little gen- 
eral knowledge, with very little practical information." 

"I am not surprised that a teacher couldn't," said 
the doctor, "a great many physicians could not do it, for 
they are not employed to keep people well, but to drug 
them when they are sick, and so long as people prefer to 
pay for taking medicine, the doctors are powerless and 
unable to do anything better, however much they might 
desire it; but the doctor of the future will be employed 
mainly to prevent disease." 

"Doctor, since you have said what you have, the 
question occurs to me, how do people live at all?" 

"By mere accident or chance. They eat what they 
want, that is, what their appetite craves, or what may be 



RIGHT LIVING EASY 9 

offered them, no matter whether it suits their require- 
ments or not. If it makes them suddenly sick, there is 
not much danger, but if their food is wrong for a number 
of years, and if its evil effects are not quick in mani- 
festing themselves, the doctor will finally have a much 
more serious case to cure, if indeed a cure is not beyond 
his power." 

"Then, if I understand you, the people live almost 
universally in a haphazard way and if they get sick, 
rely on nostrums and doctors to cure them." 

"Exactly so." 

"How do you account for it?" 

"It is partly due to the fact that people believe 
that proper living is galling; that all the pleasures of life 
would be cut off if they had to live by rule; but prob- 
ably a far greater number are under the impression 
that their work the weather, or natural causes, produce 
their ills, when in fact they are self-inflicted." 

"Well, I have heard these reasons so continuously 
that I almost come to pity those people who are always 
saying that something or other in their lives, either their 
work, the weather, or some accidental circumstance made 
them ill and wretched." 

"Is there nothing in this?" 

"Not much. Most persons can eat almost any food in 
proper quantity at a proper time if properly prepared, and 
as to weather and work killing people, who live in accord 
with natural law, such would be as hard to find as a 
dishonest alderman" said the doctor, with a somewhat 
significant twinkle in his eye, then continuing, "it is no 
harder to live properly than it is to speak or write gram- 
matically; one doesn't have to think of all the inflections 
of every part of speech in writing, for correct use of lan- 
guage comes by knowledge and practice, and good usage 



10 USE OF KNOWLEDGE 

is only difficult to the illiterate. Just so as to living. If 
you really understand foods and their relation to life, it is 
easy to be well. ,, 

"But people often say that they don't live up to 
what they already know, and what is the use of learning 
more?" 

"People who say that it is no use to learn because 
they do not live up to their knowledge are unconscious of 
their own ignorance. It is true that no one applies all he 
knows to each act of his life, and this fact is illustrated in 
our daily conversation, for however well educated, few 
persons speak correctly at all times; but would any one 
say, that because of this being a fact that it is useless for 
one to get an education? 

"Nobody but an idiot would say so." 

"Here is another fact, few live up to their moral en- 
lightenment, but according to the reason urged for not 
learning more about our bodily existence, all the efforts 
put forth to christianize and enlighten the world are useless. 
We might go still farther and say, that but few people do 
business as systematically as they know how; is a busi- 
ness education, therefore, of no use?" 

"Doctor that is well put, and emphasizes the impor- 
tance of training." 

"Yes, knowledge is the main spring of action and the 
people who will not be controlled are those who are suffer- 
ing from some defect the result of their own or others' 
violation of physical laws." 

"Then you think people who have right knowledge 
of living will not go far wrong, if they are not already 
badly warped by somebody's transgression?" 

"They will not, for it is absolutely certain that un-£ 
der no circumstance will the people go as far in their vio- v 
lation of what they know will injure them, even though 



EFFECTS OF IGNORANCE 11 

their inclinations lead them against their knowledge, as 
they would certainly do, if they were entirely ignorant of 
the effects of such imprudence." 

"Then knowledge is useful to recover from errors in 
living?" 

"Yes, when we are ignorant we not only injure our- 
selves, but not knowing the cause of the injury, we are 
likely to continue until we are beyond any remedy. 
No language can sufficiently emphasize the fact, that there 
is nothing of so much value to us, as knowing how to live, and 
to Jcnow how and what to eat comes first. 

"Are we to understand that all the ailments of life 
come from improper food?" 

"No, not all of them, but most of them do. Some 

come from hereditary tendencies, some are thrust upon 

us, such as infectious diseases, but if people were to eat 

the right kind of food in proper quantity, and properly 

^.prepared, sickness would scarcely be known at all." 

"Has physical weakness much to do with our career 
as individuals?" 

"Yes, everything; it retards moral and intellectual 
development, causes a craving for stimulants, drives 
people to crime, makes labor a burden when it should be 
a pleasure, causes life to be partially or wholly a failure, 
and frequently makes the individual a burden to society 
instead of a blessing. All of which are forcibly illustra- 
ted by our penal institutions, alms houses and asylums." 

"There is no doubt, doctor, but what the people need 
enlightenment upon the subject of proper living more than 
any other?" 

"Yes, unless it be the question of heredity and pre- 
natal influences, but as you want to deal with questions 
for immediate results there is no field which could possi- 
bly offer you a greater opportunity for labor." 



12 EFFECTS OF IGNORANCE 

"What would you suggest as a proper scope for a 
book that would, in your opinion, be of most benefit to 
the people?" 

"The qualities and properties of everything used as 
food should be given, and the best methods of preparing 
each food product. It would also be well to point out the 
deficiency, if any, of each food and what would be suit- 
able under different conditions to make a complete diet. 
It would be advisable to mention those foods that have 
particular value as remedial agents, and suitable diet in 
ail diseases." 

"Whom should we urge to study a book of this 
kind?" 

"I suppose most people would say that those who are 
ill need it most, and while it is urgent for them, the great- 
est good can be done by interesting those who are as yet 
too young to have suffered irreparable ill from bad exam- 
ple. As this is beyond question the most important of all edu- 
cation it should be taken up and taught in our public schools 
as the most essential branch of the school course." 

"Then you don't regard school physiologies as of 
much practical benefit?" 

"As to that, it certainly fsn't objectionable to study 
physiology and hygiene, but the only trouble is that 
much of it has no direct bearing on living, and too many 
suppose they are well informed when they have not learn- 
ed any more about living than they would have done about 
house building, by simply examining a house and finding 
that it was made of brick, mortar, stone, wood and metal." 
"That will shock some of the teachers." 
"I hope not, for I was a teacher myself and studied 
and taught from the school physiologies, but what I did 
not know would have filled a large book. Too much at- 



EFFECTS OF IGNORANCE 13 

tention connot be given to this because experience teaches 
that those who are now healthy are gradually perhaps imper- 
ceptibly breaking their natural vigor, so that with them it is 
only a question of time before they will have the common 
ailments with which everyone is familiar. If these can 
be reached they can be saved much distress, while those 
who are diseased and broken might not be worth but lit- 
tle after you have taken away all the causes v/hich afflict 
them. It is a good plan to help all the people you can, 
but do not devote all your energy towards working over 
spoiled material." 

"Then you think it better to save the coming and 
future generations." 

"Yes I would seek them but let the others seek me." 



CHAPTER II. 

DIGESTIVE ORGANS, 
AND THE PROCESSES OF DIGESTION. 

"Doctor, in beginning the study of any subject, it is 
of course very important to start right." 

"That is true, and if we are to understand the source 
of health as well as disease, we must know something 
about the digestive organs and how they work to keep 
us well, and under what circumstances they will not, or 
can not work, and thus allow us to get sick." 

"A great many people don't understand what is 
meant by digestion." 

' "Digestion is the process by which the various particles 
of food we eat are dissolved and changed by the digestive 
secretions and processes into suitable elements for the 
various uses of the body." 

"Are the particles taken into and absorbed by the 
system made very fine?" 

"Yes, the particles that are absorbed are so fine that 
they must be magnified several hundred times before 
they can be seen by the naked eye." 

"This is very interesting, Doctor, where does the 
process begin?" 

"It commences where a great many kinds of trouble 
begin." 

"That must be in the mouth?" 

"Yes, in the mouth and in the kitchen, and unfor- 
tunately, most people in this, as in other things, use their 
mouths and kitchens much but not well." 

"What do you mean by that?" 

14 



canimaHftWumVirai 






FUNCTIONS OF SALIVA 15 

"That they talk without thinking, eat without chew- 
ing, cook without knowing how, and eat more than they 
eat properly." 

"That is because they don't know how to do any 
better?" 

"That's a charitable view and no doubt true in 
part." 

"At any rate one is astonished, at how little people 
know about living and that is true even of the educated 
classes." 

"Yes it is, A good many people would dispense 
with their mouths for eating if they could, and shovel 
their food into their stomachs just as they would load a 
wagon with hay. When they get sick, they charge it 
to anything or everything except their own folly." 

"Then the great fault is in eating too fast?" 

"Well, as already stated, digestion is first of all a 
process of dissolving, and a good many people treat their 
stomachs as though they had better teeth in them than in 
their mouths. It is time for people to learn that they on- 
ly have one set of teeth, and that if they continually im- 
pose on their stomachs, by compelling them to do the 
work that should be done by the teeth, sooner or later, 
their stomachs will get stubborn and not work at all." 

"Yes, Doctor, but you forget, don't you, that many 
kinds of food are ground before they reach the mouth?" 

"That would seem to be a good point, but somehow 
the creator of man did not anticipate mills, and conse- 
quently, arranged an important process of digestion in 
connection with the uses of the teeth, which cannot be 
avoided without positive injury." 

"Then there is no safe way of cheating the teeth 
out of their grinding business?' 

"None whatever." 



16 MOUTH DIGESTION 

"What is the important process that you have just 
mentioned ?" 

"No doubt, you have noticed that when you chew 
anything, your mouth is soon filled with a slippery ropy 
fluid, usually known as saliva." 

"Yes, where does it come from?" 

"It is a secretion that comes from glands within and 
adjoining the mouth each of which has a tube draining 
into the mouth." 

"Have these glands names." 

"Yes, the principal ones are known as parotid, sub- 
maxillary and sublingual glands and there are small 
glands scattered through the lining membranes of the 
mouth and tongue. These are called buccal (mucous 
and serous) glands." 

"Do they all secrete the same kind of fluid?" 

"Well, it is all a digestive agent, though the charac- 
ter of the secretion of each is different?" 

What are the various uses or saliva?" 

"It was formerly supposed that the saliva had no 
other use than to moisten the food, and no doubt every 
one has noticed that as soon as they commence to chew 
anything, the saliva commences to flow; for that reason, 
it appeared that the saliva was only intended to make the 
food soft so it could be swallowed easily, but with the aid 
of modern chemistry, we have learned that saliva is a 
digestive agent, which must be mixed with the food dur- 
ing the grinding of the same by the teeth." 

"What is the nature of the secretion?" 

"It is an alkaline solvent that dissolves that part of 
the food known as starch, gum, pectose and similar sub- 
stances." 

"In what is an alkali different from an acid?" 






- 



FUNCTIONS OF SALIVA 17 

* 'Probably, the nearest we could describe it would 
be to say that it is the opposite of acid. If we mix them 
in proper proportions, according to the strength of each, 
both will become inert." 

"Then digestion of all foods containing starch be- 
gins in the mouth? " 

"It begins there if the saliva be mixed with the food 
but the fact that so many people swallow their food with- 
out chewing it, especially all soft foods, such as warm 
bread, mashed potatoes, pudding, oatmeal and all similar 
foods, there is not ordinarily sufficient saliva added to 
digest any quantity worthy of notice." 

"Then the old saw, 'who eats slowly lives long' 
must be true." 

"It is." 

"Has the saliva any effect on foods other than 
the starches?" 

"Not as a digestive agent, but it aids in keeping the 
particles of food that are crushed by the teeth from ad- 
hering together." 

"How much saliva is ordinarily secreted in a day?" 

"Those who have carefully estimated it, say that 
eight to ten ounces are daily secreted." 

"That would hardly include tobacco and gum chew- 
ers, would it?' 

"No, chewing tobacco is a perverted use, and tobac- 
co chewers have saliva with which to bathe a consid- 
erable portion of the earth but very little for their food." 

"Of what temperature does the saliva act on 
starch?" 

"At 103° to 112° F. It does not act below 85° F. 
to any extent, nor over 168° F." 

"Then moderate temperature is an important thing 
indigestion?" 



18 FOUL MOUTHS 

"Yes, this explains part of the ill effects of ices and 
very hot drinks.'' 

"What is the other part?" 

"Direct damage to the mucous membrane." 

"is there anything else about the mouth that aids 
digestion?" 

"Nothing that aids it, but something that doesn't aid 
it." 

"What is that?" 

"Filth. Some people keep their mouths like garbage 
boxes. They allow all kinds of food to lodge and decay 
until it even rots their teeth, and then they have a mouth 
tainted with decaying food and decomposing bones, 
which is a harbor for the various kinds of bacteria." 

"What harm does this do?" 

"When food is eaten, these foul accumulations and 
bacte/ia are carried to the stomach, and no doubt are 
often great factors in disturbing the stomach and general 
system, and one of the sights calculated to make one pity 
the human race is to see persons .cut holes in their 
flesh to make themselves beautiful with jewelry and yet 
carry a mouth and teeth coated with putrid matter so 
offensive in odor that it is disagreeable to be near them." 

"What becomes of food when it leaves the mouth?" 

"It passes down a tube called the oesophagus (gul- 
let) into the stomach." 

"Do people understand how their stomachs are con- 
structed?" 

"No, a great many people suppose their stomachs 
are copper lined, or at least their habits lead one to that 
conclusion." 

"Why do you say that?" 

"Because they have no regard for their stomachs 
and give themselves no concern as to the character or 
quantity of what they put in them." 



STRUCTURE OF STOMACH 19 

"In what particular?" 

"It is not an uncommon thing to see people eat soup 
scalding hot and then drink ice water to cool it. Others 
make a catch basin of their stomachs and pour in several 
gallons of beer or large quantities of stronger liquors.' ' 

" There are but few who do not use mustard, pep- 
per , horseradish and other intense irritants, while those who 
are continually taking poisonous drugs are legion. This is 
not all, the stomach is not supposed to rebel no matter 
how coarse or tough the food, nor how incompatible the 
mixtures that ignorance pours into it, and as a result of 
all this, if the aches, pains, diseases, misery and deaths 
could be measured by volume they would make a pyra- 
mid from the earth to Jupiter." 

"Suppose you tell us something about the stomach, 
doctor?" 

"I can do that best by first showing you a photo- 
graph of it. (See page 20 for illustration.) It is gen- 
erally described as an irregular shaped sack or 
pouch, and will hold in normal condition from two up to 
three and a half pints, although in one case the stomach 
of a grown person was known to hold only a half pint. 
Abnormal size is very common, because the majority of 
the people use their stomachs as a receptacle for the most 
outlandish collection of indigestible material which a pam- 
pered civilization can supply. This stretches them so that 
they are made to retain several gallons of liquid and food un- 
der which the system groans with the weight of its torture. 
The modern stomach exposed to view looks much like a 
fourth of July balloon. The inside of the stomach is lined 
with mucous membrane, very similar to that of the 
mouth. This is arranged in many folds running length- 
wise. If the membrane be examined by a microscope, 
innumerable pits are seen. These pits indicate the pres* 
ence of gastric glands." 



8 




fyL 



A, stomach. B, pyloric end of stomach. C, liver turned 
up to expose stomach. D, large intestine. E, rec- 
tum. F, annus. 



20 



EXPERIMENTS IN DIGESTION 21 

"Do the gastric glands perform an important part in 
digestion? " 

"They do, for they secrete what is commonly 
known as gastric juice.' ' 

"Are there other glands in the stomach?" 

"Yes, mucous-forming cells that secrete mucus." 

"Is the gastric juice anything like saliva?" 

"Not in the least, for the gastric juice is acid and the 
saliva alkaline." 

"Then it is the acid that dissolves the food?" 

"That depends upon the kind of food you mean. 
Properly speaking, it is not the acid alone, but the secre- 
tion of acid and a substance called pepsin, acting togeth- 
er, that dissolves tissue forming foods, but not starch. 
There is another substance in the gastric juice called ren- 
net. This is also called a milk-curdling ferment." 

"How did they ever find out anything about what 
was in the stomach, and what goes on in the process of 
digestion?" 

"Well, not much was known prior to 1822." 

"What was discovered at that time?" 

"That was the time when a man by the name of 
Alexis Saint Martin had his stomach accidently torn open 
by the discharge of a musket." 

"What was the wound like?" 

"The front part of the sixth rib was blown away, 
the lung and diaphragm torn; but after a long convales- 
ence he recovered except that there was a large fistulous 
opening into the stomach. This at first had to be ban- 
daged, but after a time a portion of the mucous mem- 
brane of the stomach prolapsed until it hung down over 
the opening, thus acting as a sort of a curtain to the 
stomach," 

"That was remarkable." 



24 CHEMICAL PROCESS OF DIGESTION 

''Yes, great harm, and such ailments as cramps, 
colic, diarrhoea and catarrh of the gall bladder, causing 
gall stones, are common results from coarse substances 
passing through the stomach into the bowels." 

"Has there been any extensive investigation made 
about digestion since that of Dr. Beaumont?" 

''Yes, investigations have been going on almost con- 
stantly ever since, and have been much aided by what 
we might properly term Modern Chemistry. A German 
physiologist in 1831, discovered that saliva digests 
starch, i. e., turns it into grape sugar, sometimes termed 
maltose. Since then, repeated experiments have been 
made upon man and animals. Thousands of tests have 
been made by siphoning the gastric juice and partly di- 
gested food from the stomach, and also almost every 
conceivable test has been made on dogs and other 
animals." 

"Doctor, you say saliva is alkaline while the gastric 
juice is acid. A while ago you stated that these were 
antagonistic and that the alkali neutralized the acid. Now, 
how can digestion be carried on by two elements directly 
opposite to each other, one neutralizing or destroying the 
effect of the other?" 

"That is a good question, and a right understanding 
of the answer would clear up many of the doubts and 
difficulties concerning food, or rather our diet. In the 
first place, it would be well to remember that the saliva 
makes its appearance in the mouth; that it has great 
effect on the digestion of starch, or starchy food; that it 
should be mixed with the starchy foods as thoroughly as 
possible. Then, when the food reaches the stomach, the 
gastric juice only begins to flow. It will thus be seen 
that there is considerable time for the digestion of the 
starch before any quantity of gastric juice has been se- 



CHEMICAL PROCESS OF DIGESTION 25 

creted in the stomach, or to put it another way, the starch 
digestion begins in the mouth and continues after reaching 
the stomach until the stomach has secreted a sufficient 
quantity of the acid gastric juice to counteract the effect 
of the alkaline saliva which the food received in the 
mouth. Ordinarily, it would require from 15 minutes to 
a half hour for the stomach to become sufficiently acid to 
neutralize the amount of saliva that ought to be mixed 
with the food during its mastication before it reaches the 
stomach. As the stomach gradually becomes more and 
more acid, the starch digestion gradually lessens until it 
entirely ceases. Then the action of the stomach walls 
becomes quite intense, and gastric digestion properly 
begins. " 

"What do you mean by gastric digestion?" 
"I have tried to make it plain that the saliva has no 
solvent action upon proteid or tissue forming foods. It is 
this class of foods that are dissolved or at least should be, 
in the stomach, by the secretions therein." 

"What class of food do you call starches?" 
"Generally speaking, all the vegetables with the 
possible exception of peas and beans, are essentially 
starch, and even peas and beans contain a per cent of 
that substance. The foods acted upon in the stomach 
are lean meats of every kind, eggs, milk, cheese, fish, 
and the vegetable casein in peas and beans and the gluten 
found in wheat and in other cereals." 

"Is digestion completed in the stomach?" 
"Not by any means. By far the most important 
part takes place below the stomach — in the small intes- 
tines." 

"Then, according to the statement you make, the 
stomach is not of much use, and knowing something of 



26 REMOVAL OF STOMACHS FROM DOGS 

the trouble and pain it gives it looks as though we were 
constructed on immature plans.' ' 

"Not at all. The stomach has its use and a most 
important one, although Czerney in 1876, at Heidelburg, 
Germany, removed the entire stomach of two dogs. No 
mention is made as to the effect on one of the dogs, but 
the other lived from 1876 to 1882, when he was killed for 
the purpose of making an examination as to his condition. 
At the time his stomach was removed, the dog weighed 
5,850 grams (22 lbs.), a month after he weighed consid- 
erably less, but during the year his weight increased to 
7,000 grams (29 lbs.)" 

"Has any person ever lived with the stomach re- 
moved?" 

. "A few have, and several where the pyloric end 
of the stomach (i. e. the end on right side) has been cut 
out and the intestines sewed to the stomach. Such 
operations have seldom been successful, but it is probably 
due to the fact that they have never been made until the 
patient was almost dead of some malignant disease, such 
as cancer or ulcer." 

"You have made no mention, Doctor, of fats. What 
action has the gastric juice or saliva on them?" 

"Until within a few years it was supposed that the 
gastric juice had no effect whatever upon the fats, but 
modern investigation has changed that view somewhat, 
and it is now understood that the gastric juice is capable 
of breaking down or disintegrating fat cells thereby set- 
ting the fat particles or globules free. This, no doubt, is 
a great aid to intestinal digestion. It is also believed that 
the fat is to some extent changed into fatty acids and 
glycerine by the gastric juice." 

"Has the gastric juice any other action?" 



EFFECTS OF GASTRIC JUICE ON FATS 27 

"It converts cane sugar into grape sugar, thus pre- 
paring it for absorption into the system." 

"Is there anything besides starch that is not greatly 
acted upon by the gastric juice?" 

"Yes, cellulose." 

"Where is it digested?" 

"It is digested somewhere in the apparatus of the 
lower animals, but nowhere in man; in fact, it keeps 
starch from digesting, because starch is encased in small 
cellulose cells, and unless the cells are ruptured by cook- 
ing or by mastication, starchy cereals and vegetables are 
almost wholly indigestible." 

"How long does food ordinarily remain in the stom- 
ach?" 

"From one to four hours, frequently longer." 

"What are the modifying conditions?" 

"Much depends on the kind of food, upon the cook- 
ing, and the mixture of different kinds of foods." 

"Doctor, that is not plain to me, will you give ex- 
amples?" 

"Yes, meat and tough vegetables, like peas and 
beans, require longer time for digestion than something 
that is easily dissolved, like the white of an egg. Then 
as to cooking, the longer meats are cooked, especially if 
roasted or fried, the harder and more insoluble they be- 
come, as heat coagulates, that is, makes the albumen in 
meat more solid." 

"Is there anything else that makes meat difficult of 
digestion?" 

"Yes, being saturated with fat, because the gastric 
juice of the stomach has only a limited effect on fat, and 
if eggs or lean meat be fried or saturated with it, the par- 
ticles might aptly be termed encased, and could only be 
acted on to a limited extent, if at all, by the digestive 



28 CONDITIONS RETARDING DiGESTION 

agents of the stomach. This is the reason why fried 
lean meat is so hard to digest.' ' 

"Is this all that determines the period of digestion ?" 

"No, there are many other things. The fineness of 
the particles of food has much to do with it, and it will 
not require any labor to demonstrate that a particle, say 
the size of a pea or bean would not be so quickly dis- 
solved, if it be dissolved at all, as a particle as small as 
very fine flour, so that the length of time food should re- 
quire for digestion depends much upon how finely it is 
masticated or artificially divided, and this applies equally 
to both meats and starches. Another factor is the amount 
of acid in the stomach.' ' 

"How does that affect the duration of digestion?" 

"Some persons secrete very" little acid, and are 
almost wholly unable to digest meats ; others have 
such strong acid secretions that they digest meats very 
quickly, but that very fact might in a measure prevent 
starchy foods from being dissolved by the saliva, so that 
the kind of food and the amount of acid in the stomach 
are both elements affecting the period of digestion." 

"Is this all, doctor?" 

"No; perhaps one of the most important of all is the 
demand of the system for food." 

"How does this affect digestion?" 

"Well, if the system has previously been supplied 
with more food than it can use, nature has some way of 
protecting herself by not adding to the burden already 
carried. Of course, if the intestines are loaded with 
matter and their action slow, the food would not be 
quickly drawn downward. It is believed that when the 
system is clogged or there is an excessive accumulation 
of matter in the bowels, that the stomach must neces- 
sarily be in sympathy, and it sometimes happens that 



TIME REQUIRED FOR DIFFERENT FOODS 29 

foods remaining too long in the stomach and decaying 
there is the first symptom pointing to the fact that the di- 
gestive organs have been overloaded and that there is no 
demand for food. ,, 

"Some people say that the amount of drinks or fluid 
taken into the stomach has much to do with the duration 
of digestion.' ' 

"That is true. If the digestive juices are greatly diluted 
they must necessarily be much less active than if they 
have their full strength." 

"What about the temperature of the fluids taken into 
the stomach?" 

"It also influences digestion, from the fact that the 
temperature of the stomach must be maintained at about 
the normal heat of the body. If cold drinks be poured 
into the stomach, as a matter of course, digestion will be 
delayed until the stomach can be re-warmed." 

"Do individual peculiarities have much to do with the 
time required for digestion of food?" 

"Yes, some people have very active stomachs but yet 
have inherited some antagonistic tendency to certain foods" 

"I have often heard people say that when people are 
in serious trouble that they were likely to suffer from in- 
digestion, why is this?" 

"Well, anything which affects the nervous system and 
in that way disturbs circulation, will affect digestion." 

"What is the theory of this, Doctor?" 

"It is because the stomach requires a large supply of 
blood, and if the blood from any cause is in excess in 
other organs the supply of the stomach will necessarily 
be diminished. Great mental excitement keeps the flow 
of blood to the head instead of the stomach, and the same 
may be said of every vigorous exercise. There is still 



30 STRUCTURE OF INTESTINES 

another cause for the various periods required for digest- 
ing the different foods, that is, their chemical effect on 
each other. To illustrate, tea contains a large amount of 
tanic acid. If strong tea should be drunk after eating the 
white of eggs, the tanic acid of the tea would precipitate 
the albumen of the eggs and make it entirely indigestible. 
This is about the same process as that of tanning leather" 

"Then you don't attach much importance to statements 
that certain articles of food are digestible in a certain 
time?" 

"No, although something like an ordinary average 
might be estimated, for instance, well-done meat should 
ordinarily be digested in four or five hours, or six at the 
most, although sometimes it is never digested. Meat 
properly cooked should be digested in about 3 hours, and 
experiments with raw meat show that under fair con- 
ditions, it will be digested in 2J hours." 

"Then according to that, cooking meat makes it more 
indigestible?" 

"As a general rule, it does, and as it is ordinarily cook- 
ed, it makes it much more so. The same may be said of 
eggs. Raw eggs could be digested in about two hours; 
hard fried eggs, if at all, in four to six hours." 

"How about vegetables?" 

"Peas and beans being very tough require three to 
four hours. Ordinary bread, if good, about 2J hours." 

"Do liquids require much time for digestion?" 

"Water or fats and oils taken on an empty stomach 
would not ordinarily remain in the stomach but a few 
minutes." 

"How about milk?" 

"Milk is taken as a liquid but it becomes a semi-solid in 
the stomach, and requires one-half to two hours for 



STRUCTURE OF INTESTINES 31 

digestion. Of course, as already explained, these esti- 
mates are only mere outlines which are varied by many 
circumstances." 

"When digestion begins, does the food leave the stom- 
ach as fast as digested?" 

"No, although at intervals small amounts of dissolved 
food are ejected from the stomach, but the greater portion 
of it remains in the stomach until digestion has been suf- 
ficiently completed to allow the food to pass into the in- 
testines." 

"Then according to your explanation, the stomach is a 
sort of a reservoir, in which the food is prepared for fur- 
ther changes in the intestines." 

"Yes, it might be called something of a dissolving vat." 

"Why is this?" 

"Well, the intestines are much more susceptible to for- 
eign substances than the stomach." 

"I don't understand what you mean?" 

"I will explain; the stomach is an organ of considera- 
ble size, while the intestines have smaller diameter and 
greater length." 

"About how long?" 

"The small intestines about twenty feet or more, the 
large intestines about five feet'. Where the intestines 
join the stomach is called pylorus. Where it joins the 
large intestines, ileo-caecal valve." 

"What is their general structure like?" 

"It is a small tube containing muscular layers running 
lengthwise and also around the intestines. The blood 
vessels and glands are very numerous. The inside of 
the intestine- being lined with a mucous membrane similar 
to that of the stomach, but in the stomach the folds run 
lengthwise while in the intestines they are crosswise," 



32 PANCREATIC DIGESTION 

"What is the principal agent of intestinal digestion?" 
"Pancreatic juice, which is secreted by the pancreas." 

"Then according to that, the pancreas is the most im- 
portant of the digestive organs?" 

"Well, the digestive organs act as a unit, each being 
essential, although the pancreas furnishes the most indis- 
pensable part of the digestive fluids, because digestion 
can go on in the intestines if the food be fine enough, 
even though there be no preparation made in the stom- 
ach, or by the mouth. 

"What kind of an organ is the pancreas?" 

"It is a long, narrow gland of reddish cream color, but 
of course the color varies according; to circumstances." 

"Where is it located?" 

"It lies behind the stomach in the rear wall of the 
abdomen." 

"In what way is it connected with other organs?" 

"It has two tubes or ducts, emptying into the intestines 
three or four inches below the lower end of the stomach." 

"Doctor, you haven't explained the general character 

of the pancreatic juice?" 

"It is an alkaline fluid containing many chemical ele- 
ments." 

"How do these elements act in furthering the processes 
of digestion." 

"The pancreatic juice has three distinct properties. It 
dissolves all preteid foods, such as meat and eggs, 
also has a very active solvent, which quickly digests 
starch and it has still another element which splits up or 
decomposes the fats, splitting them up into extremely 
small particles making a creamy substance closely re- 
sembling soap." 



BILE 33 

"Is there any other digestive agent besides what you 
have already mentioned?" 

"Yes, there are others. The one most universally 
known but probably the least important, is bile." 

"I have often heard people speak of having bile on the 
stomach, is this true?" 

"Not ordinarily at least, the bile duct from the liver or 
gall bladder empties into the intestines several inches be- 
low the stomach, and it is only when the proceedings of 
nature are reversed as in cases of extreme vomiting, that 
the bile is brought up through the stomach." 

"Of what use is bile in digestion?" 

"The uses of the bile are still a subject of more or less 
dispute, although it is generally understood that the bile 
is a very important factor, in connection with the pan- 
creatic juice, in preparing fats for absorption. A number 
of experiments have been made upon the digestion of an- 
imals without bile, and it was found that .a large per cent 
of the fats were not absorbed. This is said to be true al- 
so in jaundice where the flow of bile is obstructed or in 
some way deficient." 

"Has it any other uses?" 

"Being strongly alkaline, it arrests the action of the 
stomach juices and aids in preparing the food as it comes 
from the stomach for pancreatic digestion; this being an 
entirely different process from that carried on in the 
stomach. Bile will dissolve small quantities of fats, 
and has long been used to remove grease stains from del- 
icately colored fabrics, but its action alone without the 
pancreatic juice is not very marked." 

"What other uses has the bile?" 

"It is claimed that it will to a certain extent prevent 
abnormal fermentations or decay of the food in the in- 



34 INTESTINAL GLANDS 

testines and there is no doubt but what bile acts as a 
laxative in the bowels. It also acts as an antidote to 
poison known as nicotine which is one of the active prin- 
ciples of tobacco. Numerous experiments have demon- 
strated the fact that it is about the only known substance 
which increases the flow of bile, although various drugs in 
a measure accomplish the same result by setting up an 
activity of the bowels; these are known as cathartics." 

"Is there any other secretions found in the intestines 
that affect digestion ?" 

"There are numerous small glands throughout the in- 
testinal canal. These secrete an alkaline fluid but so far 
as has yet been determined they have no other use ex- 
cept to convert starches into sugar and perhaps aid in 
keeping the contents of the intestines from becoming ex- 
cessively acid through fermentative processes." 

"I don't see what is to be gained by all this talk 
about digestive processes in the intestines?" 

'•Then you don't care to know how to keep alive. 
That is why a good many people don't live, they merely 
exist, at least they must have constant assistance from 
their doctor." 

"Then, what is to be learned by this?" 

"First, that there is a limit to the size of the lumps — 
the coarseness of the food that can be properly disposed 
of by the stomach." 

"Suppose this is violated, what is the effect?" 
"Very likely cramps or inflammation which will prob- 
ably cause serious injury and even death. The second 
thing to be taken notice of is that 25 feet of intestines re- 
quire something to incite their action; i. e., waste matter 
sufficient to give them something to do." 



ABSORPTION, APPETITE AS A GUIDE 35 

"Suppose the diet does not furnish the necessary waste 
what will be the result?" 

"It would seem from the construction of the intestines 
having folds almost their entire length, that it would be diffi- 
cult to get anything through them. Can you explain how 
this is accomplished?" 

"By activity — peristaltic movement." 

"What is that?" 

"The peristaltic movement of the intestines is a wave- 
like movement similar to that ot a caterpillar in motion." 

"I perceive if there be so much movement there must 
be freedom?" 

"Now you have struck a great point. Tight waist 
bands and tight corsets hinder peristaltic action of the 
intestines, and the man or woman who reduces the size 
of a natural waist (which a very large per cent of women 
do) deserves to be called an artist with more vanity than 
sense." 

"Does any digestion take place in the large intestines?" 

"Not in the sense that it does in the small ones. The 
processes of the large intestines are those of decay and it 
is believed that particles of food that have not previously 
been acted upon are to some extent dissolved by the ac- 
tion of bacteria, a fermentative process." 

"How is the digested food taken up by the system?" 

"The entire length of the intestines contain little 
tongue-like projections called villi, which are attached to 
the folds of the mucous membrane. These take up the 
digested particles by a process called osmosis or absorp- 
tion from without, and they are carried into the circula- 
tion." 

"Do they immediately become blood?" 

"Some portion of the food so absorbed immediately 



34 INTESTINAL GLANDS 

testines and there is no doubt but what bile acts as a 
laxative in the bowels. It also acts as an antidote to 
poison known as nicotine which is one of the active prin- 
ciples of tobacco. Numerous experiments have demon- 
strated the fact that it is about the only known substance 
which increases the flow of bile, although various drugs in 
a measure accomplish the same result by setting up an 
activity of the bowels; these are known as cathartics." 

"Is there any other secretions found in the intestines 
that affect digestion? " 

"There are numerous small glands throughout the in- 
testinal canal. These secrete an alkaline fluid but so far 
as has yet been determined they have no other use ex- 
cept to convert starches into sugar and perhaps aid in 
keeping the contents of the intestines from becoming ex- 
cessively acid through fermentative processes." 

"I don't see what is to be gained by all this talk 
about digestive processes in the intestines?" 

'•Then you don't care to know how to keep alive. 
That is why a good many people don't live, they merely 
exist, at least they must have constant assistance from 
their doctor." 

"Then, what is to be learned by this?" 

"First, that there is a limit to the size of the lumps — 
the coarseness of the food that can be properly disposed 
of by the stomach." 

"Suppose this is violated, what is the effect?" 
"Very likely cramps or inflammation which will prob- 
ably cause serious injury and even death. The second 
thing to be taken notice of is that 25 feet of intestines re- 
quire something to incite their action; i. e., waste matter 
sufficient to give them something to do." 



mmm • 



ABSORPTION, APPETITE AS A GUIDE 35 

"Suppose the diet does not furnish the necessary waste 
what will be the result?' ' 

"It would seem from the construction of the intestines 
having folds almosttheir entire length, that it would be diffi- 
cult to get anything through them. Can you explain how 
this is accomplished ?" 

"By activity — peristaltic movement.' ' 

"What is that?' ' 

"The peristaltic movement of the intestines is a wave- 
like movement similar to that of a caterpillar in motion." 

"I perceive if there be so much movement there must 
be freedom?'' 

"Now you have struck a great point. Tight waist 
bands and tight corsets hinder peristaltic action of the 
intestines, and the man or woman who reduces the size 
of a natural waist (which a very large per cent of women 
do) deserves to be called an artist with more vanity than 
sense." 

•'Does any digestion take place in the large intestines?" 

"Not in the sense that it does in the small ones. The 
processes of the large intestines are those of decay and it 
is believed that particles of food that have not previously 
been acted upon are to some extent dissolved by the ac- 
tion of bacteria, a fermentative process." 

"How is the digested food taken up by the system?" 

"The entire length of the intestines contain little 
tongue-like projections called villi, which are attached to 
the folds of the mucous membrane. These take up the 
digested particles by a process called osmosis or absorp- 
tion from without, and they are carried into the circula- 
tion." 

"Do they immediately become blood?" 

"Some portion of the food so absorbed immediately 



36 FREQUENCY OF MEALS 

enters into circulation as part of the blood, while other 
parts enter either the lymphatics or lymph glands or portal 
vein, and carried to the liver and probably modified to some 
extent by that organ from which it is taken upas needed." 

•'Doctor, will you kindly sum up the important things 
to remember about digestion. " 

"First, food must be properly prepared; second, it must 
be thoroughly masticated, ground fine and thoroughly mix- 
ed with saliva, especially if it contain starch; third, no fresh 
food should be taken into the stomach during the period of 
digestion; fourth, food should be'properly proportioned, con- 
taining the different elements required for the purpose of 
sustaining life.'" 

"Doctor, you have not mentioned how often one should 
eat?" 

"That is somewhat a matter of habit. The savage 
tribes eat when they are hungry or when they can get 
food." 

"Would you advise people to be guided by their appe- 
tites?" 

"Not by any means. It is better to have fixed habits, 
although if there be cause for hunger and need for food, 
this feeling should be gratified within reasonable limits." 

"What do you mean by cause for hunger?" 

"Hunger may be either normal or abnormal, that is, it 
may come because one eats but little food, and takes a 
large amount of exercise, while abnormal hunger, which 
is even a more intense craving for food, results from dis- 
ease, or excessive stimulants such as condiments or al- 
cohol." 

"How can one tell whether the appetite is normal or 
abnormal?" 

"By amount of food eaten and amount of exercise taken." 



FREQUENCY OF MEALS 37 

"How often then should one eat?" 

"That is difficult to say, for it depends on habit, abil- 
ity to digest food and the activity of the person." 

"Then a uniform practice of eating three times a day 
is not always best." 

"No, many persons would remain in better health 
when eating four or five times daily, but ordinarily three 
meals a day are sufficient, and some even claim that two 
meals agree better than three. This is especially true of 
brain workers. The two meals should be at the begin- 
ning and end of the day." 

"What class of persons should eat more than three 
times a day?" 

"Persons of very weak digestion as convalescents from 
acute diseases, or people who are very fat." 

"Won't this have the tendency to make them take too 
much food?" / 

"On the contrary, the inclination is to take much less. 
Weak stomachs need food in very small quantities, and 
eating often satisfies the appetite." 

"Can you give general rules?" 

"Yes, no one in active labor should go longer than six 
hours without food." 

"You say appetite should be considered, in what way?" 

"In this way, if you were to eat a very light breakfast 
at six or seven o'clock in the morning and have active 
exercise, it would not be unnatural to be hungry at 10, 
and it would then be better to eat something than to wait 
until 12 for the regular meal." 

"I have always heard that it is bad practice to eat be- 
tween meals, now you advise that under some circum- 
stances it be done." 



38 REGULATION OF MEALS 

"The objection to eating between meals is not well 
understood. What is meant by the general outcry 
against it, is that no food ought to be taken into the stom- 
ach while what has been previously eaten is in process 
of digestion." 

"O, I see, eating between meals if the stomach is not 
empty, is after all a bad practice?'* 

"Yes, it is very bad, for it keeps food in the stomach 
too long and very likely causes it to decay, because part 
of the amount previously eaten will probably be retained 
until the fresh food has been added. This necessitates the 
retention of the previous meal until the second is digested, 
and therefore causes increased delay. The practice can- 
not be too strongly condemned,' ' 

"Doctor, I am still confused. You say that a light 
breakfast at six or seven and active exercise might make 
it proper to take food at ten, what would you do about 
the regular meal if it came at 12?" 

"This is a matter which requires judgement, In such 
a case, a ten o'clock lunch should consist of some fruit 
that is easily dissolved, like a baked apple. If good fruit 
cannot be had, then a little milk, sugar, or even bread in 
small quantities." 

"Then the habit of eating meat,pickles and beer lunch 
is objectionable?" 

"Extremely so; no liquor (if it is to be drunk at all) 
should be taken on an empty stomach, but to do so and 
to eat pickles and salads besides, is a species of folly so 
great that it is difficult to understand how a rational per- 
son can do it." 

"What should be the principal meal of the day?" 

"Well, for most people the principal meal should be in 
the middle of the day, although breakfast may be a heavy 



REGULATION OF MEALS, SLEEP, TOBACCO 39 

meal, if not convenient to eat anything but a lunch in the 
middle of the day. The evening meal should always be 
the lightest, because the system is most relaxed and the 
least capable of digestion." 

"How about eating at bed-time ?" 

"If there has been active exercise and the hour for re- 
tiring late, a little food may be beneficial. To persons 
who have an inclination to insomnia (sleeplessness,) a 
little food will often be conducive to sleep and there is 
nothing we could more strongly recommend than Horlick's 
Malted Milk." 

"Why does it make one sleep?" 

"Taking a little food at bed-time has a tendency to 
draw the circulation from the head to the stomach, and 
whenever the excessive flow of blood to the head is di- 
verted, then sleeplessness will be supplanted by restful 
sleep." / 

"I have always understood that eating food just before 
retiring had a tendency to keep one from sleeping at all?" 

"There is some truth in this — depends upon the quan- 
tity and kind of food. A hearty meal always has a ten- 
dency to make one go to sleep, but if the meal is of such 
a character that it is a struggle to digest it, it almost nat- 
urally follows that the circulation will be disturbed 
much more than it ought to be; hence, the weird dreams 
and 4 night mares' so called, are common incidents to late 
suppers of rich and indigestible food." 

"What is the significance of sleepiness after meals?" 

"Well, if there be great drowsiness after meals, it indi- 
cates either weak digestion or nervous exhaustion." 

"How does exercise aid digestion?" 

"Exercise aids by increasing the circulation and in that 



40 EXERCISE AND DIGESTION 

way clearing the system of waste, and by burning up the 
food, thus creating a demand for a new supply." 

"Then the more exercise the better?" 

"Not at all, exercise, to the extent of great fatigue 
weakens very much and if such be unavoidable, it is 
much better to take some rest before eating and also 
after." 

"Doctor, I have noticed that some people soon become 
ill if they do not sleep enough, why is this?" 

"Lack of sleep in some way disturbs the nervous sys- 
tem and weakens its tone. It follows then that inasmuch 
as every organ of the body is controlled by the nervous 
system, when it is disturbed every other organ will most 
likely be so." 

"^Some contend that the use of tobacco aids digestion." 

"If it aids one, it hurts ten thousand, for it both de- 
presses the action of the heart and affects the nervous 
system, and is therefore an unmitigated evil and univer- 
sally injurious to all persons in normal condition, although 
-jit might be useful in some cases as a drug." 



CHAPTER III. 
CLASSIFICATION OF FOODS. 

"The food we consume serves us in two ways; first it 
supplies material for tissue and also for the bones; second, 
it furnishes us fuel for bodily warmth and action." 

"What foods are required for these purposes?" 

"While most writers divide foods into many classes, 
practically there are only two, that is, foods for building 
or repairing the body and foods for furnishing heat or 
force." 

"Then you would only divide food into two classes." 

"Yes, foods for building or repairing the body are called 
tissue-forming foods, they are also known by other names 
which are used to express the same thing." 

"What are the names?" / 

"The most common name applied to tissue-forming food \ 
is the term proteid, or protein. Another term almost 
equally well-known is that of nitrogen or nitrogenous 
foods. Still another known as albumens or albumenoids. 
These various names are used interchangeably for the 
same purpose, and the reader should not be confused 
thereby." 

"What foods belong to this class?" 

"Lean meat, eggs, fish, milk and cheese are the foods 
most extensively known as tissue forming foods, but peas, 
beans, lentils and wheat gluten have a larger per cent of 
tissue-forming substances in proportion to their starch, 
than is ordinarily required for the human system. Properly 
speaking, they should be classed with tissue formers." 

"What foods are known as fat or heat producers?" 



41 



42 CLASSIFICATION OF FOOD 

"All fats and oils, starch, sugar, gum, pectose and 
waste material are all termed force producers. The foods 
belonging to the starchy class, including gums and waste 
material are usually termed carbo-hydrates, while the 
fats are known as hydro-carbons. " 

"In what classes of food do we find these different 
properties?" 

"All the animal fats and oils, vegetable and fruit oils, 
sugar, starch and vegetables generally " 

"Are there any foods that belong to both classes?" 

"Yes, many of the foods in common use belong to both 
classes, that is, are both tissue formers and force pro- 
ducers. Milk, meat and eggs, all contain fat, and are 
therefore force producers by reason of the fat they con- 
tain, while the cereals, especially wheat and oats, contain 
nearly the proper proportion of tissue forming and heat 
producing substances. Ordinarily, the animal foods are 
called nitrogenous and the vegetables non-nitrogenous 
or heat producers." 

"I understand that the system contains much mineral 
matter, that the bones are substantially all composed of 
it. Where does the supply come from?" 

"The largest element of bone formation is lime, called 
calcium, while salt known as chloride of sodium, pot- 
ash known as potasium, magnesia known as magne- 
sium, and sulphur and iron and traces of other minerals, 
are found in various parts of the body. These various 
mineral elements are usually known as salts, or mineral 
matter, and exist in various compounds, generally known 
as chloride, carbonate and phosphate of sodium; chloride, 
carbonate, sulphate and phosphate of potassium; carbon- 
ate, sulphate and phosphate of magnesium; and phosphate^ 
of calcium." * 



MINERAL SALTS 43 

"Are there any other uses for mineral salts, in the 
body, except for bone formation?" 

"Yes, but it would be rather difficult to explain them to 
the laity." 

"What is the use then of all this description then?" 

"Simply to show the necessity of eating food that sup- 
plies these elements." 

"Then it is a matter of great importance after all." 

"Yes, many diseases result from not knowingthisfact." 

"What are some of them?" 

"Rickets in children, anaemia, chlorosis, excessive 
growth and other ailments," 



CHAPTER IV. 

WATER THE PRINCIPAL ELEMENT 

OF THE BODY. 

"The human system is made up of many chemical ele- 
ments, the principal part of which is water. The sec- 
ond largest element is carbon and next to it is nitrogen, 
while calcium is the largest element of the mineral sub- 
stances. Those of less quantity are magnesium, sodium 
iron, sulphur and traces of other metals. " 

"Doctor, must our food contain all the elements of the 
body?" 

"That is the conclusion from the experiments that have 
been made, although some of the elements are so small 
no demonstration has ever been attempted. It is but 
natural to conclude though, that if water, carbon and ni- 
trogen and lime are indispensable that all the other ele- 
ments would be so." 

"I take it from what you say that water is the most 
important of al 1 foods ? " 

"That is true. There is nothing taken into the 
system so indispensable as water, for it constitutes about 
70 per ct of the weight of the body,and as the evaporation 
from the body is large, and being a vehicle for carrying off 
the waste and poisonous products of the system, more 
water is required than any other food, and if it is not fre- 
quently supplied, the blood would become too thick to 
circulate and death would result." 

"Doctor, I suppose you have seen the statement in ad- 
vertisements of liquors that water kills more people than 
whiskey?" 

"Yes," said the doctor, "and strange as it may seem, 

44 



WATER . 45 

there is some probability that the statement is true; at 
least, it would be a good question for debate." 

"You don't mean to say that people drink too much 
water, do you, Doctor?" 

"As a rule, they don't. More drink too little than too 
much. It is not the quantity but the quality that kills, 
as the people of Hamburg learned in 1893 when they 
were scourged with the cholera." 

"Is there much impure water?" 

"Much! Why don't you ask whether there is any 
pure water, for such a question would be more in accord 
with the facts." 

J 'What are some of the sources of polution?" 

"Wells are polluted from surface water by spilling 
dirty water on its covering, by filtration from barnyards, 
privies, feed pens and street sewage. River and lake 
waters by sewage, decaying vegetable matter, and refuse 
of all sorts thrown into them, but this belongs to sanita- 
tion to be treated in a separate volume and we should 
not venture out too far." 

"Cannot the people tell by seeing whether it is clear?" 

"No, the clear sparkling water may be laden with 
death dealing impurities which may be vegetable or 
chemical, and may even have typhoid or cholera bacteria 
in it, but by boiling, it can be made wholesome and 
many impurities may be removed by various methods of 
filtering." 

"But people object to boiled water, it tastes too vapid?" 

"That can be easily overcome by agitating, like mak- 
ing milk shake or lemonade; in fact, the aeration these 
drinks get by being shaken is partly what makes them 
so pleasant." 



46 WATER 

"Can you give some suggestion as to how 
much water a person should take in twenty-four hours?'' 

"We take much of our water in what we call our 
solid foods; but unless we eat watery foods, like green 
fruits, the smallest requirements would be at least three 
pints daily, in addition to what would ordinarily be con- 
sumed in the foods including milk, tea and coffee. Of 
course, exercise, temperature and the size of the individ- 
ual would all be varying circumstances and one would 
drink a great deal more water in very hot weather than 
in moderately cool or cold weather.' 1 

"Do people injure themselves by drinking water?" 

"That is putting it mildly to say the least. Every 
tank and pitcher of ice water ought to be labeled with 
skull and cross-bones." 

"Why so?" 

"Did you ever snow-ball? If you have, you have 
noticed that though your fingers would be for a timg 
nearly frozen, after a while they would sting and burn 
with heat." 

"Yes, I have noticed it. Is that the way ice water 
acts?" 

"It is. When the blood returns, that has been 
driven avay by the cold water, reaction takes place and if 
continued, the excessive flow of blood causes congestion, 
resulting in inflammation and general derangement of the 
stomach, usually known as ice water catarrh. It's a pro- 
lific source of what is generally known as summer com- 
plaint, indigestion, cramps, dull headaches and general 
languor, and dilatation of the stomach walls or enlargement 
of the stomach. There is another thing. Have you ever 
noticed if you take a large draught of ice water when you 
are very hot that you feel somewhat as if you were going 
to faint? Well, that results from the shock to the nerves 



EFFECT OF ICE WATER 47 

in the blood vessels thereby affecting the activity of the 
heart and the fainting sensation is not caused by the heat 
as is generally supposed. " 

"That may be all very true, doctor, but think how 
cool it keeps one." 

"Where did you learn that? That is one of the most 
absurd notions of the age. We get cool by what assists 
in radiation of heat, and whatever opens the pores of the 
skin and allows the heat to escape, makes the body cool. 
Trying to warm a tank of ice water in the stomach does 
not take away the heat from the system; but on the con- 
trary prevents its escape from the body." 

"Then you would advise the people not to drink ice 
water?" 

"I would substitute cracked ice, which answers the 
place much better and is much more effective in rapidly V 
lowering the temperature of the body. If ice be retained 
In the mouth until melted, the water becomes warm be- 
fore it reaches the stomach. This entirely avoids the 
evil effect of ice water and prevents congestion with its 
train of ills." 

"This does not give much water, does it doctor?" 

"No, it is not the quanity of ice water that is drunk 
that gives such satisfaction, but the contact of cold to the 
mouth and throat, and melting ice seems to answer the 
demands of internal heat better than any other agent at 
our command." 

"But cracked ice is not always easily obtained." 

"Then it is better to only use part ice water and part 
of water much warmer, but people may drink ice water 
in very, very small quantities and very slowly. No one 
should drink more than a gill of very cold water at 
a time. No cold drink of any kind should be taken soon- 
er than three hours after meals. In hot weather where 



48 EFFECT OF COLD DRINKS 

there is an inclination to drink too much, a little water 
should betaken with greater frequency.' ' 

"Doctor, did 1 understand you to say that no cold 
water or cold drink should betaken soon after meals?" 

"Well, not only should no cold water be taken, but no 
cold drink of any kind should be taken at meal time nor 
before digestion is completed.' ' 

"Why, I supposed the cold drinks would keep the food 
from souring too quickly and consequent^ be a good 
thing.' ' 

"You must have been reading about the animals of 
prehistoric races, said to have been preserved for several 
thousand years by being frozen. The fact is, the water 
cannot remain cold in the stomach, and if it did there 
would be no digestion and no use of taking food at all. 
As soon as the ice cold drinks are poured in, digestion 
stops until the temperature can be brought up to normal 
heat. This has a tendency to exhaust the working 
capacity of the stomach and if the cold drinks are repeat- 
ed with great frequency, the stomach becomes perman- 
ently enlarged and digestion is paralyzed. This is one 
of the principal reasons why so many people are unwell 
and have diarrhoeas and lack force and energy in hot 
weather." 

"Then cold drinks are worse in hot weather than in 
cold weather?" 

"The principal is just the same, only the system is 
more enervated in hot weather and the inclination to 
take cold drinks when we are warm is much greater than 
at other times; therefore, the injury from cold drinks is 
much more common in hot weather." 

"I have noticed that many people drink hot water, 
while some say it is best to drink nothing at all during 
meals." 



USES OF HOT WATER 49 

"Clear hot water is occasionally a useful agent for such 
ailments as result from acute indigestion and where there 
is no chronic enlargement of the stomach. Hot water 
drinking having been advocated originally for a few 
minor ailments, has been taken up by the multitude as a 
cure-all for every disease of the digestive organs. We 
can consequently call it a fad and a pernicious one at 
that. It is used ignorantly in many ailments where it 
acts as a direct irritant. Its most potently evil effects 
have been witnessed in those of a highly nervous temper- 
ament known as neurotics who have extremely irritable 
stomachs. To such it seems to act as a temporary seda- 
tive but in reality it produces a hyper-sensitive condition 
of the mucous membrane, which in time prevents the 
proper digestion of solid foods and has a tendency to add 
to an already over burdened nervous condition resultiug 
in enervation and prostration. There are also unknown 
conditions of ulcerations of the stomach where hot water 
often produces severe hemorrhages. These are only a 
few conditions in which the miscellaneous and indiscreet 
use of hot water has an evil effect. There are others 
too numerous to mention, but these will suffice to put the 
public on guard against foolishly and ignorantly aping a 
fad." 

"If there be harm in drinking hot water under what 
conditions can it be used with benefit?" 

A few instances where hot water may be successfully 
used are as follows: If upon awaking in the morning 
you find a sensation of fullness in the stomach, a heavily 
coated tongue, a slightly acid condition of the saliva you 
may know that your previous meal has left more or less 
of sour ferment in the stomach: Now, if you will drink 
half tea cup of hot water it will clear the mucous mem 
brane of excess of acid, mucus and debrie remaining 



50 USES OF HOT WATER 

from the previous meal, making the stomach fresh and 
sweet for the morning meal. The principle upon which 
this acts is as follows: People who invariable eat three 
meals a day do not always completely empty their 
stomachs. Now the indigested portion of the previous 
meal remaining in the stomach undergoes a certain amount 
of fermentation, and if another meal be added without 
first clearing the stomach, the sour ferment remaing from 
the previous meal, has a tendency to decay the fresh 
food of the succeeding meal, thereby generating abnormal 
fermentation and gases which distend the stomach, with 
symptons of flushed countenance, slight palpitation of the 
heart and much discomfort. This is what is usually 
known as indigestion." 

"Is there any way to make hot water more palatable?'* 

"Yes, it can be made much more agreeable to the taste 

to take boiling water and agitate it like making lemonade. 

If too disagreeable to the taste, a little milk may be added. ' ' 

"What if it is not convenient to get hot water, doctor?" 

"Then cold water may be drank a half hour before 

meals or especially at bed time." 

"There is a popular notion abroad that hot water is a 
good drink at meal time?" 

"Well, it's only relatively good, that is, it is not as bad 
as most drinks such as tea and coffee, but it has no es- 
pecial merit to recommend it; on the contrary, any kind 
of fluid dilutes the digestive juices and makes digestion 
more difficult. The only so-called hot water drinks at 
meal time that may be said to have any merit is when as 
much milk is added as there is volume of water. Water 
makes the milk more easily digested and the merit may 
properly be said to be in the milk. Of course, if circum- 
stances make it necessary to drink at meal times or not 
at all, hot water is the least objectionable, but it has no 



HOT WATER 51 

medicinal effect of importance, unless taken long enough 
before meals to allow it to escape from the stomach." 
"About what temperature should hot water be drank?" 
"Ordinarily from 105 to no degrees Fahrenheit, never 
hot enough to scald the membranes. The notion that 
boiling hot water is necessary is a grievous mistake." 



CHAPTER V. 

/ BREAD. 

"Doctor, you say water in some form or other is the 
most indispensable of all foods, 1 suppose that meat is next 
in importance ?" 

"No doubt the Esquimeaux would say so, while 
those who style themselves vegetarians say that it is not 
only the least important but the most injurious of all 
foods, but the truth of the matter is, all races have lived 
off of what they could get the easiest and liked the best; 
but for the European and their American descendants, it 
can be truly said that bread is the staff of life, or more 
strictly speaking, the staff of life is wheat." 

"I have often heard bread called the staff of life, but 
never knew why. I suppose it must be more wholesome 
or more nutritious than other foods?" 

"That might be true in theory, but as a matter of 
fact it is often much more unwholesome than other foods. 
Aside from the fact that bread is both cheap and palatable 
it furnishes nearly all the essential ingredients to support 
life." 

"Doctor, what are we to understand by essential 
ingredients?" 

"First, heat or force producers — the starch and fat 
furnish these. Second, flesh formers or proteid food. 
This is furnished by the gluten of the flour. Third, min- 
eral matter necessary to form bones and tissues. Fourth, 
waste material. Of course, bread is more or less defi- 
cient according to the material of which it is made." 

"Some people think wheat the best, some rye and 
some Indian corn." 

53 



54 PROPORTION OF HEAT PRODUCING FOODS 

"Yes, the Russians and the Germans prefer rye or 
at least use rye, while most of the English speaking peo- 
ple prefer wheat bread, although in the Southern states 
corn bread is extensively used and preferred by many.'' 
"The chemist ought to be able to say which is the 
best: What food elements does each kind of bread contain?" 
Fine flour ordinarily contains : 

fWater 13.5 

Force producersJ garch^ 73.3 

(.Fat 1.2 

Flesh formers (Giuten 10 5 

\ Mineral matter .ob 

It will be seen from this table that bread contains 
ordinarily about 7 or 8 times as much force producing 
food # as that of tissue forming elements, a proportion con- 
siderably above what is usually estimated to properly 
nourish the human system." 

"But, doctor, haven't you already said that rice was 
mainly all starch, and are there not more people who 
practically live on rice than an other article of food? If 
that be true, it doesn't seem reasonable to say that wheat 
bread really has too high a proportion of starch. " 

"It is true that more people live on rice than any 
other food, but an American laborer with his mixed diet 
can do twice the amount of labor in a given time than a 
laborer of rice eating nations." 

"How about Mexico?" 

"The people of Mexico eat meat and the Mexican 
laborer is in no way superior to the laborer of India or 
China, so that it is very difficult to draw conclusions by 
analogy, but this fact remains. The climate of Mexico 
makes a laborer lazy, sluggish and slow, and also has 
that tendency in India or China." 



PROPERTIES OF BREAD 55 

"Then on what does your statement rest when you 
say that ordinarily wheat bread has too high a proportion 
of starch?" 

"It rests on a century of actual experience and it 
has been settled beyond dispute that a man requires a 
larger per cent of tissue forming food ordinarily called 
proteid or nitrogenous food than is contained in fine wheat 
flour, if health and physical development are desired, al- 
though the exact proportion depends upon climatic con- 
ditions, amount of exercise and the peculiarities of the 
individual. In Europe, the proportion of tissue forming 
food to that of heat or force producing food is estimated 
at a ratio of about 1 to 3, Some place the ratio as high 
as 1 to4J." 

"How about our own country?" 

"Well, Americans are the most active people in the 
world, and for the most part have rather a bracing clim- 
ate, so that we can stand a diet as low in tissue formers 
as 1 to 6. Of course, this is speaking in a general way, 
extreme cold weather and active exercise might require 
even a higher ratio of heat producing food, while grow- 
ing children in moderate or warm weather would require 
a proportion more nearly in. accord with the estimates 
for the Europeans." 

"What has climate and activity to do with heat or 
force producing food?" 

"It has a great deal. It was at one time supposed that 
great activity destroyed a great deal of tissue, but that 
has been found to be a mistake. Hard labor or exercise 
increases circulation, and very naturally more heat pro- 
ducing food is oxidized, or burned up. The same reason 
holds good in cold weather. The need for heat increases 
respiration and circulation, and that burns up more fuel, 
which the heat producing food really is." 



56 FOOD ELEMENTS NECESSARY 



a 



f Ah I see, this furnishes quite a guide to living. The 
sedentary and fat require less fat and starch than the 
active. In cold weather it requires more than in hot 
weather.' ' 

"Yes, that is the idea. The old soldier prefers a piece 
of fat bacon when he has a forced march, while to the 
aged and infirm it might be nauseous.' ? 

"I suppose we have about reached perfection in bread 
making, have we not?" 

"I hardly think so; at least the masses are a long, long 
way from it, and there is probably no one article of food 
more responsible for indigestion, with its train of ills, than 
poorly made bread." 

"I have heard some say that the best part of flour was 
bolted out — that our flour was too refined." 

"There is a good deal of truth in that, for there are 
three important elements taken out — the bran, phos- 
phates, mineral matter, and a considerable portion of the 
gluten and nearly all of the cellulose." 

"Why are they taken out of the flour?" 

"The bran is bolted out because it is unpalatable, and 
the phosphates are unavoidably taken out because they 
adhere to it. The gluten also adheres to the bran, but is 
mainly found in the heart of the grain — the part that 
grows. It does not pulverize so readily as the starch, and 
is also bolted out with the bran and known as middlings. 
There is another reason why middlings from a commer- 
cial standpoint is not desirable in flour — it makes the 
bread darker, but more yellowish than dark." 

"Doctor, you haven't explained in what way the bran 
and phosphates increase the nutritive value of flour." 

"I am coming to that. The bran has no food value, or 
rather nourishment for man. It is, in fact, indigestible 
cellulose." 



PROPERTIES OF WHEAT AND USES 57 

"Then, I don't see any use in eating indigestible 
food." 

"I'll tell you why. Man no doubt originally ate much 
coarser food than he does now, and it is probable that his 
tendency is toward concentrated food; but, even if we 
grant that, it will still be several thousand years, if at 
all, before he can live on concentrated food exclusively." 

"Then he needs indigestible cellulose in some form, as 
a sort of filling, for the same reason that a horse needs 
hay?" 

"Exactly. If there is not sufficient waste material, 
there is nothing to stimulate the action of the bowels, and 
constipation results, with all its attendant ills." 

"Why wouldn't coarse vegetables answer as well?" 

"But many people don't eat coarse vegetables, besides 
the waste matter can be too coarse. Many vegetables are 
stringy, and if hastily swallowed, which is a very com 
mon practice, they may really act as an obstruction 
rather than a stimulant to the bowels." 

"But many people are troubled with diarrhoea rather 
than constipation." 

"That's true; but most of those same people have con- 
stipation first, and the diarrhoea is only nature's way of 
getting rid of accumulated matter, and not a few persons 
have found that they lost their good health when their 
occasional diarrhoea ceased." 

"There must be other causes for diarrhoea besides con- 
stipation." 

"Yes. They will be discussed under the proper head. 
1 merely mentioned it to emphasize the value of bran for 
all people who have a tendency toward constipation." 

"Is bran in bread of use to everybody?" 

"Not by any means. If it greatly irritates the bowels, 
it should be avoided." 



58 WHEAT BRAN IN CONSTIPATION 

'•'Then, according to your statement, wheat bran is the 
best waste material found in any of our foods. " 

"I can hardly say that. The bran of other grains 
might be equally good. More depends upon its fineness 
than its name," 

"What part of wheat is the richest ?" 

"That depends on what you mean by richest. A pound 
of wheat germs (wheat gluten) is more than equal to two 
and one-half pounds of lean beef, as flesh formers." 

"Is the wheat gluten as easily digested as meat?" 

"For a good many people, it is easier. Many persons 
tolerate it better than anything else, and it furnishes a 
good food at any period of life, and for almost any condi- 
tion." 

"As I understand it, the starch of wheat makes the fat; 
is a force producer; the gluten is the flesh former; the 
bran furnishes the waste material. Now, is that all the v 
good things you can say about wheat?" 

"No; the phosphates make the bones and furnish min- 
eral matter for the system." 

"Then, as a food, wheat seems absolutely perfect." 

"It is said to be the only perfect food, and it probably 
is more nearly so than any other food; but for all that, it 
has too small a per cent of fat and too little lime. Pigeons 
fed on wheat and distilled water only lived a few weeks, 
but when water containing a small per cent of lime was 
furnished, instead of distilled water, there was apparently 
nothing lacking, and the pigeons grew fat." 

"What would you suggest to add to it?" 

"Well, I will talk of that when I discuss the different 
\ kinds of bread and diet suitable to meet different condi- 
tions." 

"I infer from what you say that Graham flour or bread 



WHEAT THE BEST FOOD — DIFFERENT FLOURS 59 

made from it is much to be preferred to the ordinary fine 
flour bread." 

"That is not the idea, Graham flour is supposed to be 
made of the whole grain, bran and all. Recently a pro- 
cess has been invented which saves all the .valuable parts 
of the wheat without the objectionable and unpalatable 
bran in Graham flour. Wheat has three coats or en- 
velopes, and it is advisable to remove the first two, which 
still leaves enough cellulose for a healthful diet, without 
being in the least unpalatable. Being sweeter, many 
people prefer bread made of entire wheat flour." 

"Then, there is no general dislike to the new process 
common to brown or Graham bread." 

"'No ; the dislike of brown bread results mainly from 
the unpleasant sensation produced in the mouth by the 
coarse bran, and if it could be reduced to the fineness of 
flour, there would be no objectionable taste. This has 
led to the late method of removing the coarsest part of 
the bran and the name 'entire wheat flour* substituted for 
Graham flour. It is not so white, as bolted flour, but is 
really more palatable. Goodfellow gives the composition 
of fine flour and entire wheat flour as follows : 

Water, 12 15 

Proteids, 9-3 14.9 

Carbo-hydrates, force producers, . 76.5 66.2 

Fat, ... 0.8 1-6 

Cellulose, 0.7 1-6 

"Mineral Matter, 0.7 1-7 

"It will be seen, oil c«mpari«#n, that tke entire wheat 
flour is richer in mineral matter, tissue forming elements 
and cellulose or waste matter." 



60 ADVANTAGES OF ENTIRE WHEAT 

"How would you sum up the advantages and disad- 
vantages of entire wheat flour ?" 

"1st. Better for growing children, especially if there be 
constipation or tendency to rickets. 2d. The sedentary 
or corpulent. 3d. Vegetarians, or people who eat but 
little meat. 4th. People who suffer from constipation. 
5th. Mothers during maternity, or while nursing children. 
6th. Those who have a tendency to decay of teeth. No 
kind of bread should be given children under ten months 
old/' 

"Then, fine white bread is not so wholesome as the 
other?" 

"That is not a fair way to put it. Much depends on 
individual peculiarities and what other food is used with 
it. Generally speaking, the entire wheat flour is much 
superior to fine flour. If exercise be such as to cause 
great peristaltic action of the bowels with looseness or 
diarrhoea, the fine flour bread is preferable." 

"Doctor, you said a while ago that bread was a great 
source of indigestion. On what ground do you make the 
charge?" 

"Well, bread may be very easily dissolved in the stom- 
ach, or may be very difficult. It depends upon its phys- 
ical properties. If it be solid or sticky, it does not dissolve 
readily. " 

"Then, that would include pancakes." 

"Yes, pancakes, dumplings, potpie, most pastry and all 
poorly baked bread. Any bread that will adhere together 
upon being pressed, forming a solid, doughy lump, is not 
easily digested and is a source of many disorders of the 
stomach." 

\ "There are many arguments about which is more 
wholesome hot or cold bread. Which is right?" 

"The wholesomeness of bread does not depend upon 



DOUGHY BREAD HOT BREAD CAKES 61 

whether it is hot or cold. The objection to hot bread is 
that as a rule it contains more moisture, and is therefore 
much more doughy. Its particles do not separate so 
readily when put in the mouth. For this reason there is 
a tendency, almost universal, to swallow such bread in 
sticky lumps, and of course the particles do not separate 
easily when they reach the stomach. This causes them 
to be retained in the stomach so long that fermentation is 
set up. If bread not made with yeast is sufficiently well 
baked, there can be no objection to it merely because it 
is hot; but in yeast bread, unless very thoroughly baked, 
the ferment does not leave the loaf until six or eight hours 
after baking. Biscuit should be thin and baked until its 
particles will not stick together when mashed." 

"What about cake?" 

"Cake contains very wholesome ingredients, but made 
well nigh indigestible by cooking. Rich cakes might aptly 
be described as butter, sugar and eggs, stuck together 
with a little flour. The general objection is that there is 
an excessive amount of shortening which prevents the 
digestion of the flour, and this is especially true if the 
shortening be butter, because the amount of heat applied 
in baking cake changes the chemical nature of butter, and 
makes it very bad for people who have any form of dys- 
pepsia. There are still other objections: Heat coagu- 
lates any kind of albumen (by coagulation we mean con- 
densing or hardening), and the time required for baking 
cake necessarily so thoroughly toughens the egg it con- 
tains as to make it quite indigestible." 

"What about the sugar in cake?" 

"It may sour- all that is eaten with it." 

"Can you recommend doughnuts?" 

"No; doughnuts are as indigestible as cake, for the same 
reasons; but cookies are less objectionable than ordinary 



62 FAULTS IN BREAD MAKING LIGHT BREAD 

cake, because they are not so rich; but fritters are. prob- 
ably the most indigestible of all cakes." 

"Many kinds of light bread take their name from the 
flour used and the methods of making light or spongy. 
Yeast bread is most usually made of fine white flour, i. e., 
flour made with bran and middlings bolted out," 

"Doctor, from what you say, I conclude that flour or 
wheat foods are all good." 

"If not spoiled by the cook. It has been already men- 
tioned that bread is often unfit to eat." 

"Are there any reasons why bread is unsuitable for 
food, other than what you have mentioned?" 

"Yes, there are several faults common to ordinary 
bread making," 

"\yhat are some of them?" 

"Too much yeast is used, and too long fermentation 
allowed. The more quickly bread can be fermented the 
more v/holesome it will be, and if fermentation be too 
great, part of it is changed into acetic and lactic acid. 
Bread is sometimes less- wholesome because of ingredients 
other than flour, which are added for various purposes. 
Potatoes are often used, so that the bread will absorb a 
large amount of water, making a heavy loaf with a small 
amount of flour. Alum is frequently used in bread to 
whiten it, and as it is an astringent mineral, likely to do 
injury, no one should eat bread containing it. Another 
extremely objectionable thing common to baker's bread 
is the unwholesome places in which it is made. No lan- 
guage of condemnation can be too strong to apply to the 
foul bakeries located in cellars and infested with rats, 
roaches, flies, vermin, bad air from foul closets, and op- 
erated by an unclean baker. The health officers of 
every city should see that all bakeries are kept in a san- 
itary condition." 



TOAST 63 

'Can you give specific rules for bread making?" 

"That is very difficult. Some flours require more 
kneading than ethers. Then, again, atmospheric condi- 
tions have something to do with it. Bread making re- 
quires care, and this is most likely the reason why so few 
bakers or cooks become good bread makers." 

"A good many people say they cannot eat fresh bread, 
only stale. Why is this?" 

"The principal reason is that in fresh bread the parti- 
cles adhere together in eating, so that it forms a large 
bolus, which is not easily dissolved by the gastric juices." 

"Doctor, toast is nearly always used for the sick, and 
probably has been so used for several generations. Does 
toasting bread make it more digestible, or is it only used 
because it is more palatable?" 

"It is both, but it is doubtful whether the reason is un- 
derstood." 

"Then, the fact that it is beneficial is only accidental, 
but the reason will be none the less interesting." 

"It is very well known that dry charcoal will sweeten 
almost anything with which it is brought in contact — its 
disinfecting uses apply to the stomach the same as to 
other things. Now, toasting bread chars a certain amount 
of it, and it is therefore to that extent a disinfectant or 
sweetener, but the most important change is a chemical 
one, caused by the application of intense heat in toasting. 
Bread, when toasted, is changed to what the chemists call 
dextrine, which is part of the change that takes place in 
digestion, so that toasting bread partly digests it and 
makes it a more suitable food for those who are sick. It 
might also be added that the flavor of toasted bread is 
often very agreeable and useful on that account." 

"Doctor, are there any objections to toasted bread?'* 

"There are no objections, other than the manner in 



64 DIFFERENT KINDS OF BREAD 

which it is done. To get good results the slices snould 
be cut thin and heat enough applied to drive all the mois- 
ture out of it. The heat should be applied slowly at first, 
and then finished at an intense heat. A good way is to 
put the slices of bread in an oven, and then only partly 
close the oven door. When bread is moderately dry it 
should be taken out and toasted. If the slices are cut 
thick and only toasted a little on the outside, the moisture 
in the bread is merely driven to the centre of the slice, 
making it much like dough and wholly unfit for the uses 
usually desired. For this reason toast, if not properly 
made, may be injurious instead of beneficial; and it should 
be borne in mind that bread should never be buttered be- 
fore toasting, as butter melted by fire is chemically 
changed and injurious to the stomach." 

"How many different kinds of bread are there?" 
"Probably the first and most common is ordinary yeast 
bread. The next in importance, or at least the next best 
known, is brown bread, or Graham bread. Recently the 
entire wheat bread is becoming much in favor. The 
various other breads are known as aerated bread, rye 
bread, milk bread, unleavened bread, malted bread, salt- 
rising bread, germ bread, gluten bread. This does not 
include every variety or patent bread, but substantially 
represents the different processes and kinds of bread. 
Others are mere variations of those enumerated. In yeast 
bread the sponge is formed by the yeast ferment setting 
free carbonic acid gas, which passes through the dough 
and makes it porous. ^Erated bread is a chemical pro- 
cess. The gas necessary for making the dough spongy is 
generated in a separate vessel by the use of sulphuric 
acid on limestone, most usually marble dust. The gas is 
forced into water slightly acidulated, and this is mixed 
with the dough in strong receivers, where the gas is kept 



UNLEAVENED BREAD GERM BREAD 65 

from escaping. After the mixing or kneading, the bread 
is baked the same as any other, This process made con- 
siderable headway for a time, but has been almost entirely 
abandoned of recent years. Graham bread is merely a 
mixture of common flour, bran and middlings. It is much 
coarser than ordinary bread, and is highly recommended 
in constipation. Its unpalatableness makes it unpopular. 
The entire wheat bread has already been described. Milk 
bread is made from ordinary dough, to which milk has 
been added. This improves the flavor and adds to its 
nutritive properties, but it does not keep sweet very 
long. 

"Unleavened bread is not fermented at all, and no 
means are taken to aerate it by any chemical process. 
Fiour is usually mixed to the proper consistency and then 
flattened out into thin cakes or strips, and baked quickly. 
Very nice biscuits can be made by mixing flour or milk at 
a very low temperature (ice cold), and baking in an un- 
usually hot oven. The biscuits must be made thin, and 
the heat sufficient to quickly generate steam enough to 
make the biscuits almost as light as if chemicals had been 
used. Malted bread is made by the addition of barley 
malt to the sponge or dough. This quickens the fermen- 
tation and makes a very sweet bread; so that malted 
bread is said to be more digestible than ordinary bread, 
and the flavor more pleasant. 

"Germ bread is made of that portion of the wheat 
known as the embryo, the part that grows. It is very 
rich in gluten* almost as much gluten as starch. It is 
therefore a specially valuable food for some people. 
Gluten bread is supposed to be pure gluten without any 
starch whatever. It is made by taking wheat middlings 
or flour and enclosing it in a bag or sack and washing un- 
til the starch is all dissolved and taken up by the water P 



66 BISCUITS BAKING POWDERS 

The gluten is not soluble in cold water, and therefore re- 
mains in the bag. The special value of gluten bread is 
because it contains no starch and is used in that class of 
disease known as glycosuria, or diabetes, and for obese 
people. It is also used in intestinal dyspepsia." 

"Doctor, you haven't lived in the South very much, or 
else you would have spoken of biscuits the first thing, in- 
stead of yeast bread. A good many people think them a 
great source of dyspepsia and unfit to eat, while there are 
others who think light bread unfit to eat, and refuse to eat 
anything except biscuits when they can be obtained. 
Will you tell which is better?" 

"Biscuits are not objectionable because of their form or 
name, nor merely because they are eaten hot." 

"Then, I suppose you mean that they are objectionable 
only when they are not well made?" 

"Not exactly. They may be very palatable, yet very 
unwholesome. There are two serious objections to bis- 
cuits — as a rule, they are insufficiently baked, so that 
they are sticky and become an insoluble mass when 
eaten; and the other objection is because of the chemicals 
used to make them light. Baking powders contain a great 
variety of ingredients, some of which are very unpalata- 
ble and nauseous. Many of them contain alum and am- 
monia. Alum is a dangerous astringent, while perhaps 
more real harm is done by ammonia. Whenever you 
break open a hot biscuit and can smell ammonia, it might 
he well to bear in mind that you have the equivalent of 
what you would most strongly smell upon entering a 
horse stable." 

. "Aside from bread, the preparation of wheat most ex- 
tensively used is crackers. There are many ways of 
making what is ordinarily termed crackers, but their food 
value is substantially the same, with a slight variation, 



VARIOUS PREPARATIONS OF WHEAT 67 

according to the amount of shortening or sweetening that 

may be added." & 

''Some people think dry crackers very unwholesome: 
"In that they make a mistake. Being composed prin- 
cipally of starch, -their dryness is an advantage rather 
than disadvantage, for they cannot be swallowed without 
mastication, and in doing this -the particles of starch be- 
come more or less thoroughly saturated with saliva — as 
this is an important digestive agent for starches, it should 
be understood that it is better to eat starchy food dry.^ 
The United States army physicians say the soldier's 
health cannot be maintained without some dry substance 
on which to bite. The theory of this is that in using soft 
foods exclusively the uses and functions of saliva are 
partly or entirely dispensed with, throwing the digestion 
of starches entirely upon the pancreas and other solvents 
in the intestinal canal. This very fact of compelling one 
set of organs to do the work of another is one of the great 
sources of ill health. If people could only be brought to 
understand that starch is largely digested in the mouth, 
from the saliva received there, it might be possible to 
keep them from swallowing their food without chewing 
it. The ignorance on this subject is almost astonishing. 
Even a physician was recently heard to remark that he 
could not eat dry crackers ; that his stomach was too 
weak to dissolve them. This no doubt was said without 
stopping to consider that starch is not digested at all in 
the stomach, only to the extent that the digestion con- 
tinues for a short time from the effects of the saliva re- 
ceived in the mouth. 

"Macaroni is an Italian preparation, and it forms a 
large part of their diet. It is made from wheat and gen- 
erlly supposed to contain a higher per cent of starch 
than flour, but recent analysis disproves this. Its string)' 



68 MACARONI 

form is obtained by forcing dough through small perfora- 
tions in a cylindrical sheet of metal. It is very similar to 
bread in its properties, and the only objection to it is that 
is not as friable as could be desired. By this we mean 
that the particles adhere together and do not separate 
readily by either cooking or by chewing, but if well mas- 
ticated, macaroni is a wholesome, nutritious food." 

"Doctor, are there not a good many preparations of 
wheat in the shape of meal, breakfast foods, etc.?" 

"Yes, their use is just becoming understood, and too 
much cannot be said in favor of them. Even whole 
wheat, when it is washed and boiled for six or eight hours, 
makes a wholesome and nutritious food. Many people 
think it quite palatable when cream is added to it. Modern 
milling processes have given the people various prepara- 
tions of wheat of the highest excellence." 

"Which of the various wheat preparations do you prize 
most highly?" 

"That would depend upon the use desired. Wheat 
germ meal (put up under various names of wheat germ, 
germea, breakfast foods, perhaps many other names) is 
one of the most valuable of all our foods." 

"Doctor, you seem to give wheat the first place as a 
food. Are there any preparations of wheat you can spe- 
cially recommend for different conditions?" 

"There are a number of good wheat foods, and anyone 
who can increase their use as a food in place of many that 
are less desirable is a public benefactor, One of the con- 
cerns that has done this is the Purina mills of St, Louis." 

"What is their product like?" 

"It is a meal. They call it Ralston Health Club Break- 
fast Food, and though badly named, one can hardly say 
too much for it as a wholesome food. It is made from the 
very best wheat, the outer bran being removed by the 



WHEAT GERM MEAL 69 

cyclone process. This saves practically all the phos- 
phates, which are usually lost in bolting out the bran by 
the old methods. " 

"Then, it is a whole wheat meal?" 

"Not exactly. Part of the starch is removed in mill- 
ing, making it richer in gluten. It contains less coarse 
bran than many other wheat preparations, and is there- 
fore to be preferred for children. If hard water is used, 
the addition of cream makes it a perfect food. Such foods 
should not be used merely for breakfast, but should form 
a large part of our diet. Too much cannot be said in its 
favor," 

"Doctor, what class of people are especially benefited 
by the breakfast foods, or wheat germ meal?" 

"Perhaps its greatest use is for old people who are too 
corpulent; as the heat producing and fat forming element 
is less than bread, it furnishes the necessary elements of 
life without the objections to many other foods, meat in 
particular. It contains usually small particles of bran, 
which is a great aid in preventing constipation. It is also 
particularly valuable as a food for growing children, be- 
cause it furnishes the necessary things to make bone and 
tissue. Its nutritive value, pound for pound, is about 
2% times that of beef steak, and as it costs less than half 
as much per pound, its economy is apparent. It ought to 
a very great extent be substituted for meat, because it is 
a more wholesome food, and for many people even more 
palatable." 

"How should it be cooked, Doctor?" 

"It requires a great deal of cooking. Some prepara- 
tions of it are partly cooked. These can be made ready 
'for use in from half an hour to an hour. Like oatmeal, if 
it has never been cooked at all, it requires three or four 
hours continuous boiling to properly cook it. The same 



70 COOKED CEREALS 

rules apply as that of oatmeal. It may be eaten with 
milk and sugar, but dyspeptics should eat it without 
sugar. Another preparation, not so favorably well known, 
is cracked wheat. This does not differ materially from 
the entire wheat kernel, but is more easily cooked, because 
it is partly pulverized. " 

"Doctor, the public will call you a crank on the value 
of wheat foods.'' 

"Well, names don't hurt me, while wheat foods 
help the people. So far, we have not discussed the 
cooked or predigested foods, and as some of these are so 
valuable as curative agents, they deserve more than or- 
dinary mention. '• 

"In what particular?" 

"Yqu will better understand their value when I explain 
that the modern way of treating disease is by aiding 
nature. This is done in two ways: (1) By increasing 
the activity of the excretory organs, and in that way 
throwing off the poisonous or waste matter from the sys- 
tem. (2) By furnishing the necessary elements for the 
body that will be readily assimilated, notwithstanding 
the enfeebled condition of the system. The Sanitarium 
Health Food Co., of Battle Creek, Mich., have made 
some new foods that better aid nature than anything 
heretofore known — at least, for some diseases, it is doubt- 
ful if there is any remedy equal to Granose." 

"Granose! What is it? If it has such remarkable ef- 
fects, the doctors will have to go out of business." 

"There is another way of looking at it. If all died right 
soon, there would be nobody to get sick, but if they are 
kept alive they are likely to do some imprudent thing that 
will result in their illness, and Granose is so good for the 
sick that the people should know about it. As to what it 
is, I will explain in detail. Choice wheat is first cleaned 



COOKED CEREALS 71 

of all dirt, chess, cockle and cut straws. It is then 
scoured and sterilized in such a way that all the starch 
cells are burst or broken apart. The next process is 
that of reducing the grains to thin flakes. This is done 
by machinery made especially for the purpose. The last 
important process is the roasting, which is done in such a 
way as to dextrinize the starch of the grain, and this 
makes a heat digested food." 

"That seems to be quite an innovation in the manufac- 
ture of foods." 

"Yes, the processes are quite original, each one of 
which are for a specific purpose. The object being to 
save all the valuable properties of the grain, convert what 
is commonly wasted into a valuable intestinal stimulant 
harmless but effective, and at the same time make one 
of the most palatable and nourishing foods ever manu- 
factured." 

"That is very interesting. What particular diseases 
are benefited by Granose?" 

"Granose is the nearest a specific for constipation of 
anything yet discovered, and it will do more to smooth an 
irritable temper and clear away the clouds of despondency 
than any amount of good luck. People who have head- 
aches, skin eruptions, asthma, epilepsy, piles, flatulent 
dyspepsia, torpid liver, or Bright's disease, should try 
Granose. Delicate and anasmic women and children will 
be greatly benefited by such foods, and if combined with 
the nut foods, rich and healthy blood will bring bright 
color and strength. If those who are subject to bilious at- 
tacks and sick headaches will eat such cereal foods as 
Granose, they will rarely, if ever, need drugs to keep 
them in condition. Granose is a good food in nearly all 
forms of disease, except diabetes and intestinal inflamma- 
tions." 



72 COOKED CEREALS 

"Doctor, you speak of Granose as almost a cure-all." 

"Not at all, but so many diseases result from mal-nutri- 
tion it can safely be said that whatever relieves it must 
necessarily be a blessing to the race; and while Granose 
will not raise the dead, it is a valuable aid in restoring 
vigorous life in many forms of disease." 

"Is there no other cereal food equal to Granose as an 
invalid food?" 

•'That depends on conditions. The same company 
make a food they call Granola, which is, as they style it, 
a twin of Granose. Granola is a mixture of wheat and 
oats, but prepared in a different way. It contains slightly 
more nutriment than Granose or other wheat foods, and 
is especially valuable for children, invalids, chronic dys- 
peptics ; and those who have dilated stomachs or uric acid 
diseases. Both of these foods are ready for immediate 
use. A little water, milk or cream is all that is required 
to provide a health giving and appetizing dish." 

"I don't see the advantage of having two foods so much 
alike." 

"Different preparations, though equally good, supply 
different needs; besides there is a great difference in peo- 
ple's tastes, which is always an important consideration. 
To meet the great variety of tastes and needs of the af- 
flicted, the Sanitarium Health Food Co. make a great va- 
riety of cereal foods. Crystal Wheat is another cooked 
food of much merit. It should be prepared in about the 
same way as rolled oats. Being coarser than Granose or 
Granola, it requires some cooking. It is a desirable food 
for daily use, and useful in dyspepsia and uric acid dis- 
eases. These foods are altogether unlike Graham flour, 
cracked wheat and oats, all of v/hich have more or less 
sharp edge flakes of bran, v/hich sometimes irritate delicate 
stomachs. The processes used in the manufacture of the 



COOKED CEREALS 73 

Sanitarium foods reduce the bran to such a fine state as 
to make them more palatable and less irritating.' ' 

"That all sounds very well, but the public will be slow 
to believe that any of these foods are nutritious like beef- 
steak,^ 

"That is a subject on which the public are much misin- 
formed. As a matter of fact, one pound of either Granose 
or Granola contains nearly three times as much nutri- 
ment as a pound of beefsteak." 

"I don't see how that can be." 

"Beefsteak contains so much water — nearly three- 
fourths — depending on how fat it is." 

"From what you say, doctor, the making of health 
foods by the Sanitarium company is a great blessing to 
the afflicted," 

"Yes; in addition to the foods mentioned, they make 
numerous others that are extensively used. Their Gluten 
biscuit is of inestimable value for diabetics. They also 
make a 40 and 60 per cent Gluten biscuit, on which many 
diabetics thrive. So far as we know these are the only 
reliable Gluten preparations in this country. Their pure 
Gluten biscuit does not show any starch by the ordinary 
tests. As foods for the well, the Sanitarium biscuits 
(crackers) are both palatable and healthful. They make 
entire wheat and oatmeal biscuit with and without sweet- 
ning and shortening. Their plain biscuits, containing 
the entire grain with nothing else but a little salt are the 
best for dyspeptics and athletes. Their Gofio, Zwieback, 
Avenola, Wheat Granola are all useful cooked foods, 
while their Wheat Germ Grits is a good substitute for 
meats, and especially valuable to the corpulent and rheu- 
matic with a tendency to constipation. Of recent years 
many patent infant foods have appeared, and the Sanita- 
rium company make a good one, but they do not recom- 



74 COOKED CEREALS 

mend it for children who have not begun teething." 
"Are there no other important ready prepared cerea) 
foods ?" 

"Yes, the Sanitas Food Co., of Battle Creek, Mich., 
make a Malted Gluten that greatly aids in the cure of in- 
testinal diseases, and as a food to tone up those who are 
run down. It is also of value in neurasthenia. Those 
who wish to get fat are sometimes greatly aided by first 
using such foods as Malted Gluten, or other food rich in 
nitrogen." 



CHAPTER VI. 
RYE AND CORN BREAD, 

Rye bread has never been extensively used in America, 
although it is more or less used in cities having a German 
population. It does not differ greatly from wheat bread, 
except that it is darker, of a closer texture, and to most 
people less palatable. It is recommended topeople who 
have a tendency to constipation. Doubtless this results 
more from its texture than its chemical elements, for va- 
rious experiments have demonstrated the fact that it is 
less easily digested and more waste matter is thrown off. 
This perhaps explains its laxative tendency. It is said 
that it will keep fresh longer than wheat bread, and that 
it should be baked in a much hotter oven. 

Corn bread is made from the meal of maize or Indian 
corn. It is used extensively in the Southern portion of 
the United States for bread. A large number of the peo- 
ple prefer it to wheaten bread.. 

"Doctor, a good many people think corn bread much 
more wholesome than wheat. Are they right or wrong?" 

"There is some foundation for the belief, for as already 
explained, the tendency of English speaking people, at 
least, is toward foods entirely too concentrated, resulting 
in almost universal constipation, and the fact that corn 
meal contains more or less bran and is really a coarse 
food, explains why it is more wholesome than ordinary 
wheat bread." 

"Has it any properties not common to wheat?" 

"It has not. Corn is inferior to either wheat or oats 
as a food, except for fattening, although it contains very 
similar properties. It has a little more oil than wheat, 

75 



76 CORN 

and a higher per cent of starch, if grown in the Central 
or Western States. Corn grown in the far South has a 
high per cent of nitrogen or tissue forming elements. It 
answers the requirements substantially of either wheat, 
oats or rye, and is the cheapest of all foods, furnishing 
approximately the necessaries of life.'* 

"What is the special value of corn?" 

"Corn is an exceedingly nutritious food, containing all 
the necessary elements of food, but ordinarily too high 
percentage of starch, except when grown in hot climates. 
It is therefore the most fattening of all the cereals, or for 
that matter, it excels every other food in fattening qual- 
ities, except those containing large quantities of sugar or 
oil. Next to corn bread, corn meal mush is of secondary 
importance." 

"Are there any objections to corn meal mush?" 

"The principal objection is that it is too easily swal- 
lowed. Like all starchy foods, it requires the saliva to 
properly prepare it for digestion. Corn meal mush would, 
however, be much better than what it usually is if well 
cooked. It should be stirred in three or four times its vol- 
ume of cold water, and then boiled for about three or four 
hours." 

"What about corn starch?" 

"Corn starch is made from both green and ripened 
corn. That made from the unripened corn is put up for 
the purposes of food. It is very palatable and nutritious, 
but contains no other element except the starch, and is 
therefore only a heat or fat producer. It is not a desira- 
ble food for persons who are troubled with acid dyspepsia, 
especially if it be eaten with sugar, as the combination 
ferments quickly." 

"What about roasting ears?" 

"Green corn, commonly called roasting ears, is very 



CORN HOMINY 77 

palatable and would not be objectionable except for the 
bran which envelopes the grain. This is a tough, insolu- 
ble substance, and is frequently a cause of diarrhoea or 
summer complaint during its season. If the starch be ab- 
stracted by grating, it is not so objectionable." 

•'Then, canned corn or dried corn would have the same 
indigestible material?" 

•'That is true; it is not good food. If we had some way 
of grinding up the husks or tough part, it might be espe- 
cially valuable, but as it is, it is extremely objection- 
able." 

"Are there no desirable preparations of corn?" 

"Yes, grits and hominy are good foods, and are the 
cheapest of any in existence. Grits is the fine particles 
obtained in making hominy, and is extensively used for 
food in the Southern States. Hominy, being the coarser 
particles, requires if anything more cooking, and has pro- 
portionately a higher per cent of starch than the grits. 
Both should be boiled four hours, or until they are re- 
duced to a pulp. Lye hominy is made from whole ker- 
nels of corn. It is placed in a vessel, and a weak solution 
of lye is added and left standing until the lye has in a 
measure destroyed the tough cellulose coat of the corn. 
It is then removed from the lye water, rubbed and 
washed until most of the bran is removed. Then the 
corn is soaked in water until the lye is substantially all 
absorbed." 

"Does this make corn more digestible?" 

"Yes; the lye has a chemical action upon the starch 
and partly digests it. Lye hominy is almost more of a 
medicine than a food, and it would therefore hardly be 
desirable for one in health to eat lye hominy continually, 
but for some dyspetics it is especially useful." 

"What can you say about parched corn?" 



78 POP CORN BUCKWHEAT 

"Corn is parched by simply applying sufficient heat to 
roast it brown. The starch, in a measure, becomes dex- 
trinized, and would be easily digested if it were reduced 
to a fine powder." 

"Does the parching destroy the bran?" 

"To a certain extent it does, and the only objection to 
parched corn is that it is usually poorly masticated, and 
if swallowed in coarse broken fragments, it is not easily 
digested. Pop corn is a small variety of corn used for 
food exclusively. It contains a larger per cent of oil than 
ordinary corn, and when subjected to a high degree of 
heat, the oil causes the grain to pop open." 

"A great many people regard pop corn as unwhole- 
some. If this be true, on what grounds?" 

"Pop corn is not unwholesome so far as its composition 
is concerned, but its texture is where the difficulty lies. 
It is mere or less tough and if swallowed in particles from 
the size of a grain of wheat up to whole grains of corn, it 
is very difficult to digest. It is therefore liable to cause 
either intestinal inflammation by irritation or obstruction 
in the bowels. It ought never to be given to children, 
and any one doing so cannot have much regard for the life 
of the child. It is not an uncommon thing among children 
for death to result from eating pop corn." 

"Buckwheat is a cereal much prized by many people 
but so little used it hardly deserves to be mentioned." 

"What are its properties, Doctor?" 

"The properties of buckwheat are very similar to that 
of rye. Both contain less tissue forming elements than 
wheat or oats, are less digestible, and not so valuable as 
food." 

"I have never seen any bread made of buckwheat. 
Suppose it has no other use than for pancakes?" 

"That is its common use. Some people like the flavor 



BREAD WITH OTHER FOODS 

of buckwheat cakes very much, but they are rather waxy 
and difficult to digest. There is another objection to 
buckwheat, and that is that it frequently causes an 
eruption of the skin called erythema. This is very disa- 
greeable because of its continuous itching. No one should 
eat buckwheat cakes unless they care more for their 
palates than their stomachs and health," 

"Cannot buckwheat be safely used at all?" 

"It can be used with more advantage if nearly one-half 
the volume be of corn meal.*' 

"Are these all the bread foods?" 

"There are other vegetables used for foods, not to any 
great extent in this country." 

"What foods are suitable to be eaten with bread?" 

The relation of bread to other foods would include the 
whole system of dietaries, which should be formulated in 
another part of this work, although it is proper to remark 
in this connection that the cereals should form the princi- 
pal part of our diet." 

"Why do you say this?" 

"Because they contain the necessary elements for sup- 
porting life, are less liable to produce disease, and are 
cheaper. Instead of making meat or common vegetables 
the principle part of our diet, the bulk of our food should 
consist of the cereals. If too low in fat and tissue forming 
foods, nuts, meat, milk or eggs should be added to suffi- 
ciently increase the nitrogenous and fattening elements." 

"How much meat should one ordinarily eat per day, if 
the principal part of the diet be cereals?" 

"The ordinary estimate for a person weighing say 150 
pounds requires about 8 ounces of lean beef to supply the 
necessary amount of tissue forming food. At least % of 
this amount would be furnished from the cereal diet, so 
that 2 ounces of lean meat should furnish a fair average 



80 BREAD WITH OTHER FOODS 

for amount of meat needed, exclusive of fat; but if entire 
wheat bread be used, with either milk, nuts or legumes, 
meat will not be necessary, except in disease." 

"Doctor, what -foods are incompatible with the ce- 
reals?" 

"Acids of any kind are incompatible with starch. This 
is especially true of vinegar, and it is not advisable to eat 
rhubarb and fruits that are strongly acid at the same time 
that starches are eaten. They should be taken long 
enough before the meal or a half hour or so after the 
starches, but if no meat is eaten at all, no kind of acids 
should be taken at a meal composed mostly of the 
cereals." 

•'Does this same rule apply to sugar also?" 

•'Not as a general principle, but the fact that sugar is 
quickly converted into acid, makes it objectionable for 
those who have weak stomachs. It is almost certain to 
start an abnormal fermentation." 



CHAPTER VII. 

OATS. 

"Doctor, are there any other cereals used for making 
bread?" 

"Not to any extent. Buckwheat is used for making 
pancakes and oatmeal for crackers. In the tropical 
regions, there are fruits that are used for bread, but a 
discussion of these would be of no practical value. The 
cereal of the greatest food value next to wheat and corn, 
or perhaps second to wheat only, is oats." 

"I notice that some people can't praise oatmeal too 
highly, while others condemn it. Perhaps you can clear 
up and explain these differences?" 

"I think I can. Its food value has, so far as I know, 
never been overestimated." 

"How is it then that there is such a conflict of 
opinion about it?" 

"I can explain that. Oatmeal has a rough coat, and 
there is an occasional person whose membranes are so 
sensitive they cannot eat any food that has any irritating 
waste matter. The bran in any cereal either corn, 
wheat or oats, irritates the lining membranes of the 
digestive organs and causes such persons to have dia- 
rrhoea, although as a matter of fact, most diarrhoes come 
from constipation." 

"Is there any way of overcoming the difficulty?" 

"Only partially so. The oatmeal when thoroughly 

cooked, can be easily strained, though this will seldom be 

required except for young children, because most people 

need more bran or other waste substance than they get." 



82 OATS 

"But it is said that oatmeal is pasty and sticks to the 
stomach and is therefore hard to digest." 

"It is rather difficult to get any substance whatever to 
stick to the stomach, so the trouble is not there." 

"Where is it then?" 

"There are two difficulties. The greater one is that 
oatmeal is seldom cooked half enough and most 
frequently not more than one tenth enough." 

"Surely, you must be exaggerating, Doctor. The 
cooks of the country know more than that, don't they?" 

"One would naturally think so, but they do not. The 
principles of cooking have never been given much, if any 
attention. It has always been merely an accidental 
routine or a striving to please the sense of taste. Most 
cooks merely bring food, water and fat in contact with 
heatf without much thought about results. It may be 
palatable but most likely indigestible. There is a more 
intelligent class who strive to make food palatable without 
much regard as to whether or not those who eat it will 
need the services of a doctor." 

" But all you have said may be very true, but that 
doesn't explain why so much cooking is necessary." 

"I have already stated that the cereals contain more 
starch than anything else. The. starch is incased in 
tough cellulose sacks, or cells and they must be cooked 
enough to burst them. This requires considerable time." 

"I suppose that the partly cooked preparation of oats 
could be cooked in a few minutes; at least, that's the gen- 
eral impression. If this is a mistake, I will venture to 
ask how much time is really necessary for proper cook- 
ing?" 

"The so-called steel cut oats require at least three hours 
cooking, while the rolled oats should not receive less than 
one hour, considerably more wiii add to its digestibility." 



COOKING OATMEAL 83 

"But some people say they don't like it that way. 
What say you to those?" 

^ "That is largely a matter of habit. However, we 
ought not to be governed merely by what we like, for we 
might like what our reason would teach us was sure death, 
which we see exemplified every day." 

"But it is urged that it gets too thick when cooked a 
long time. " 

"That can be obviated by adding plenty of water." 
"What do you call plenty of water, a measure of oatmeal 
with an equal amount of water?" 

"That's a common way of cooking it, and if it cooks too 
dry, which it is certain to do, they usually add more water; 
perhaps repeating the same operation several times, and 
then when it is served, you are very likely to say that 
you don't care for it, that it is not a palatable dish." 

"What's wrong with the method just described and how 
much water does it take?" 

"Oatmeal or rolled oats, is usually cooked in a double 
vessel, the inner vessel floating in water. The quantity 
of water depends upon the weight of the oatmeal, whether 
it be loose or packed, and also whether the vessel contain- 
ing it is open or tightly covered. If the vessel in which 
the meal is cooked is covered so that no steam escapes, it 
will ordinarily be sufificientto add three measures of water 
to each measure of oatmeal. If the vessel be open and 
the atmosphere dry, considerable more than three times 
as much water as oatmeal should be used and always 
enough to cook it thoroughly without adding any additional 
water after it begins to cook." 

"You haven't said anything about whether hot or cold 
water should be used." 

"The cooks disagree on that point. If hot water be 
used, the oat flavor is stronger but much more care is re- 



84 REASON FOR LONG COOKING 

quired in making. If the oats is not sifted in the hot 
water very carefully, it is liable to be lumpy. It cooks 
more thoroughly in cold water, and this method is prefer- 
able from a standpoint of digestibility although there is no 
great difference. ,, 

"But why is cold water better than hot?" 

"As already explained, the starch cells must be rup- 
tured in cooking and they will absorb water more readily 
if cold water be used and the heat gradually applied. " 

"Is that the only reason for cooking it so long?" 

"No. Intense heat applied to starch of any kind 
changes its chemical nature; in fact, it partly digests it." 

"Doctor, I suppose that if oatmeal or rolled oats was 
prepared as you have directed, it would agree with every- 
body except those who are unable to eat any coarse food 
at all?" 

"You are wrong. It may be perfectly cooked and still 
disagree — depends on how it is eaten and something on 
the pecularity of the individual." 

"I don't understand you. Do you mean it should be 
eaten hot or cold, with or without sugar, at the beginning 
or the end of a meal?" 

"Well, if proteid food (tissue formers) are eaten with 
starchy food, generally speaking, the starch should be 
taken first, so that the digestion of the starch will be as 
far advanced as possible before the stomach becomes acid, 
though this is unimportant. The greatest difficulty and ob- 
jection to all soft, starchy foods is that they slip down too 
easily when taken in the mouth. I have already explained 
that saliva contains a digestive agent or solvent. This 
solvent is an important factor in the digestion of starch. 
Now, if the food is already moistened, there is no inclina- 
tion to keep it in the mouth long enough for the saliva to 
be thoroughly mixed with it, and if it does not receive 



OBJECTION TO OATMEAL 85 

this digestive agent in the mouth, it is not digested until 
it passes through the stomach; most likely not at all." 

"Wouldn't it be a good scheme to take a certain num- 
ber of bites on each mouthful?" 

"Yes, but rather hard to practice, but if you will try it, 
you will be surprised at yourself when you discover that 
you have been swallowing your food with so little masti- 
cation. Bread should receive from forty to sixty bites or 
chews according to its texture, on each mouthful, and 
mush or porridge at least half as many. Some people 
prefer to eat some solid food with their porridge, which of 
course increases the flow of saliva and makes it necessary 
to retain the porridge in the mouth for a greater length of 
time. This partially overcomes the objection to soft 
foods." 

"Have you ever thought of any other remedy for the 
constant tendency to eat too rapidly?" 

"Perhaps where families are good enough natured not 
to quarrel, some system of small fines or forfeits for 
each one caught swallowing his food too quickly would 
work the best results." 

"Doctor, you have criticised almost everything pertain- 
ing to the preparation of oatmeal, is there any other reason 
why it might disagree with people?" 

"Yes, when it remains in stock too long it becomes 
wormy and when people are troubled with acid dyspepsia 
they should not eat sugar with oatmeal or for that matter, 
with anything else. Oatmeal has aboutthe right propor- 
tion of flesh forming elements to that of heat or force pro- 
ducing. Now, if sugar be added, the proportion of heat 
or force producing element becomes far too high and 
whenever people live on food too rich in either tissue or 
heat producing elements the results will be disastrous. 
The fact that people do not know this is one of the prin- 



86 y OBJECTIONS TO OATMEAL 

cipal reasons why so many become ill. They do not have 
their food supply adjusted to their needs. The addition 
of milk and cream to oatmeal makes the food well nigh 
perfect. The cream supplying fat, in which oatmeal is 
deficient, and milk increases the proportion of tissue form- 
ing food and supplies some of the necessary mineral mat- 
ter, which is particularly important for growing children." 

"But, Doctor, most, people think oatmeal unpalatable 
without sugar." 

"That is also a habit. If they would eat it a few times 
without sugar, they would prefer it that way." 

"But suppose they don't like it at all. You know there 
are many people who care very little for cereals of any 
kind." 

"That is true, and is a matter which needs careful con- 
sideration. Much of <the dislike as already indicated, re- 
sults from improper cooking, and a dislike formed in this 
way is exceedingly hard to overcome. It sometimes hap- 
pens that by the addition of fruit flavors, what would 
otherwise be unpalatable, is highly relished. Then, there 
are other ways. For people who like eggs, a very palat- 
able dish can be made by stirring a raw egg into a dish of 
hot oatmeal." 

"Doctor, I notice that some people say that oatmeal is 
a very rich food and that children should not eat it ; that 
it is only suitable for those who exercise a good deal in 
the open air." 

"It is rather difficult to see upon what such a statement 
could be based. The heat of the body must be kept up 
by some means, and starch, in which oatmeal abounds, is 
the least concentrated of heat producing foods. Sugar 
and fat both requiring much more air and exercise for 
their oxidation than starch ; it follows that the charge that 
oatmeal is too rich cannot be sustained." 



WHEN OATMEAL NOT SUITABLE 



87 



"How is oatmeal for old people, or those of sedentary 
habits?" 

"Old people or persons who do not take much exercise, 
need food containing a larger proportion of tissue forming 
elements. This is especially true if they happen to be 
fat." 

"Then the force producing food, is also fat forming and 
those people who are already too fat, don't need fattening 
food?" 

"That is only true to a limited extent. No one can live 
for a long period without some fat forming food, but 
people who are very corpulent need much less than 
others." 

"Is there any known reason for this?" 

Yes. Layers of fat keep the heat in the body, so that 
a fat person needs much less heat forming food. Old 
people who are fat and sluggish need very little starchy 
food, but for active mechanics, farmers, laborers and 
growing children, oatmeal should form a considerable por- 
tion of their diet." 

"Doctor, are there any other conditions in which oat- 
meal should not be eaten for food." 

"Yes. In case of diahrroea or any inflamed condition 
of the bowels, no coarse food should be eaten." 

"Doctor, it's a common practice of many people to eat 
fruit before breakfast, especially oranges, and then eat 
oatmeal, is this right?" 

"No indeed! Oatmeal being principally starch, requires 
an alkaline medium for digestion. It ordinarily receives 
very little because it is swallowed so quickly and then if 
acid be added, there can be no digestion until it passes 
through the stomach, with a chance that it will not be 
digested at all." 

'What foods are suitable to eat with oatmeal." 



88 ACIDS AND OATMEAL 

"No foods containing any considerable quantity of acid 
should be eaten for at least half an hour afterwards. 
This of course would exclude sour fruits, pickles or any 
dish on which vinegar is used. As to other foods, that 
would of course depend largely upon other conditions. 
One working in the timber with very severe labor, with 
temperature say 20 below zero, could well eat a great deal 
of fat and sugar as well as meat with oatmeal, while those 
who are corpulent and take but little exercise, would re- 
quire food containing less starch or heat producers, and 
more tissue forming food; such as wheat gluten, peas, 
beans, milk, eggs, lean meat, oysters and cheese." 

"Doctor, I suppose most of the barley that is consumed 
is taken in the form of lager beer." 

"Not altogether so. Barley is used extensively for 
thickening soups." 

"What are its properties?" 

"Well, barley is mostly starch, perhaps eight times as 
much starch as gluten. It is also rich in mineral mat- 
ter. Before wheat became so universally cultivated, bar- 
ley was a very important food, but now the only form 
known to the trade is that of pearl barley. It requires 
much cooking, and in this respect it is very similar to oats 
and wheat. There is still another use for barley and 
that is barley water. This is used extensively as a drink in 
cases of fevers, also useful for infants or invalids. It is 
made as follows : Grind half an ounce of pearl barley in 
a coffee mill, add six ounces of water, boil thirty minutes, 
add salt and strain. It should be made fresh daily and 
kept in a cool place. Another preparation of barley 
more used as a medicine than food, is malt." 

"What is the process for making malt?" 

"Malt is made by applying a considerable degree of mois- 
ture to the barley and allowing it to remain in a room 



BARLEY 89 



heated sufficiently warm to cause the grain to germinate. 
It is then dried by different degrees of heat according to 
the use for which it is intended. During the germinating 
period, a digestive agent known as diastase is formed. 
This is both a medicine and a food and is used to great 
advantage in diseases of the digestive organs where the 
chief difficulty is the digestion of starch." 



CHAPTER VIII. 

POTATOES. | 

"How did the Irish potato get its name?" 

"I do not know. It was introduced into the Old World 
from the New by Sir Walter Raleigh and probably because 
it became so extensively cultivated in Ireland (forming a 
large part of the daily diet of the people) the name of Irish 
potato was given it." 

"What are the properties of the potato?" 

"The principal part of the potato is starch. It contains 
some waste material, and compared with other foods, a 
considerable amount of mineral matter, principally pot- 
ash." 

"How does the starch of a potato compare with that of 
other foods?" 

"Very favorably. It is very similar to that of Indian 
corn but is not so fine as that of rice." 

"Is there any advantage in the starch granules being 
very fine?" 

"Yes, the finer the starch granules the more easily 
digested, although that might not always be an advan- 
tage. The tissue forming part of a potato is very small, 
exclusive of the water the proteid or tissue forming ele- 
ment is not much more than one twentieth of the solid 
matter. It will be readily seen from this, that the potato 
contains three or four times too high a ratio of heat pro- 
ducing food to that of the tissue formers. It is essentially 
a fat forming or heat producing food." 

"Is this all it has to recommend it?" 

"It is not. Potato has special uses. It has in addition 



92 FRIED POTATOES 

to the potash salts a small amount of citric acid. This is 
of but little importance of itself but the mineral matter 
altogether makes one of the best antiscorbutics known. 
By this is meant a food which counteracts certain diseases 
resulting from continual use of salted foods especially salt 
meats. The disease is seldom known outside of prisons 
and ships. At an earlier day, when voyages covered a pe- 
riod of several months scurvy was no uncommon disease 
on shipboard. It would seem only natural to associate 
the potato because of its potash salts with salted meats." 
"Are there any other uses of the potato?" 
"It is possible that the salts of the potato are useful in 
keeping the blood alkaline. Theoretically the potato ought 
to be very valuable in all genito-urinary inflammations, 
wh(^e it is desirable that the urinary secretions be kept 
alkaline." 

"What about the digestibility of the potato?" 
"If baked or boiled until mealy, it is quite digestible. If 
solid, or known as watery, the starch grains do not sepa- 
rate easily and is therefore rather indigestible," 

"Then, this would indicate that fried potatoes are not 
wholesome?" 

"If previously boiled and allowed to become cold and 
solid and then fried, as is usually done, they are not easily 
digested and not wholesome food, because being some- 
what soft and waxy, they are swallowed in lumps and do 
not dissolve readily." 

"Would not potato chips be still worse?" 
"I hardly think so, being crisp they are much less likely 
to be swallowed without mastication. Besides, frying 
them brown, dextrinizes the starch and if ground up fine 
enough in mastication, potato chips should be fairly 
digestible." 

"Don't the fat make them in a measure indigestible?" 



METOHDS OF COOKING POTATOES 93 

"I am glad you asked that question, which would apply 
to many other foods but not to same extent to the potato, 
as both fats and starches are digested in the intestines 
and not in the stomach (further than what they are acted 
upon by the saliva), the fat would not therefore prevent 
digestion in the stomach as it would with fried meat or 
fried eggs. It would seem therefore that potatoes would 
be a good vehicle for the administration of fats. Usually 
fried potatoes are not sufficiently masticated and are a 
common cause of indigestion.'' 

"Doctor, new potatoes are reputed to be the source of 
many digestive disturbances; is this true, and if so, why 
is it?" 

"I suppose it is in a measure true. New potatoes are 
waxy and not easily dissolved. They might readily 
cause an irritation by remaining in the stomach too long, 
because they are in a degree insoluble. At any rate, new 
potatoes are not a desirable article of food, and it is a great 
deal safer for people in good health not to eat them at all 
'or at least very sparingly." 

"What is the best way to cook potatoes, Doctor?" 

"The method to be preferred above all others, is bak 
ing. Boiling is also a very good method, but if cooked 
this way, it is better to boil them with their skins on than 
to peel them. They should be put in cold water and the 
temperature gradually increased. The third method is 
frying a potato in thin, crisp slices, known as potato 
chips, but as some people will not tolerate fat, frying 
would be objectionable to those." 

"Then you are not a great enemy to the frying pan, 
Doctor?" 

"I am very sorry to give anyone that impression, be- 
cause the frying pan is one of the greatest enemies of the 
human race. Potatoes are about the only thing that is 



94 DEFICIENCY OF POTATOES 

permissible to fry at all, and this is only allowable for 
people in good health who will thoroughly masticate them 
in eating. " 

"Doctor, I perceive you do not rate the Irishman's 
friend as highly as some people. 1 apprehend that you 
will be severe on potato salad?' 7 

"Well, I can't conceive of salad without vinegar, and 
vinegar and potatoes are about as incompatible as dogs 
and cats. Potatoes require an alkaline medium for diges- 
tion, while vinegar is a fermented acid." 

"Doctor, you have said that potatoes are deficient in 
tissue forming substance, it would seem natural to connect 
them with meat?" 

"Yes, the fact that potatoes are deficient in proteid and 
also in fat has led certain writers of large imagination to 
declare that the Irishman inseparably connects the pig 
and the potato, while the only necessary relation is the 
ease with which both can be raised. Many people get 
along very well who live principally on meat and pota- 
toes, but eggs and butter or any other combination of fat 
and tissue food would probably do just as well to balance 
the defects of the potato as meat. People who live prin- 
cipally on potatoes have soft flesh and little endurance." 

"Are there any other uses for the potato?" 

"Starch is manufactured from it extensively, both for 
food and for laundry purposes. Various fancy names are 
given to potato starch for the purpose of selling it. It is 
very similar to starch preparations of corn and is equally 
wholesome and valuable for food." 

"To what do you ascribe the universal popularity of 
the potato?" 

"Its cheapness and the ease with which it is raised, to- 
gether with the variety of ways in which it can be quickly 
cooked. These facts force its use until eating potatoes 



SWEET POTATO 95 

has become a fixed habit with the people, just for the 
same reason that where rice is easily raised, it is univer- 
sally used as an indispensable food. " 

"Then you don't think much of the potato?' ' 

"That conclusion is not warranted in anything I have 
said, because the potato is really a valuable food, but 
not equal to the cereals. It should, therefore, have a 
minor place in our dietaries and I cannot urge an extended 
use of it." 

"How does the sweet potato compare with the Irish 
potato?" 

"Many people prefer the sweet potato. That is doubt- 
less because it is sweet. Unlike the common potato it re- 
quires a warm climate and thrives best in tropical or semi- 
tropical countries." 

"In what way does it differ from the common potato?" 

"It contains less starch but a large per cent of sugar 
and gum. It is also more solid and stringy and requires 
much longer time to cook." 

"I suppose you would call it a rich food?" 

"Yes, it is both rich and heavy, for its particles do 
not separate so easily as most other starchy foods." 

"What use has it as a food?" 

"It certainly makes a very cheap food in warm climates. 
It is said that in South Florida they need not plant them 
but once. In digging up a row of sweet potatoes, they 
cover a portion of the vines between the rows and keep 
them growing perpetually in that way. Owing to the 
fact of its large percentage of sugar, as well as starch, 
it is a great heat producer and would be a food suitable 
for persons of good digestion doing hard physical labor." 

"Doctor, I suppose that more people live on rice than 
any other article of food?" 



96 RICE 

"That is true. It is estimated that one third the people 
of the world live principally upon rice. In the United 
States, its use has never been so near universal as its 
merits deserve. " 

"What particular value has it?." 

"It contains all the necessary elements for supporting 
life, but some in too small proportion. It is not so rich in 
tissue forming food as wheat or oats, and it is urged that 
because of this deficiency, the rice eating people are not 
so well developed physically as Europeans or Americans. 
It is also claimed that they do not so readily recover from 
an injury or a disease as those who live on a diet contain- 
ing more of tissue forming elements. To offset this, rice 
is very easily digested, has the finest starch cells and is 
altogether a desirable food." 

"Are the rice eating people more healthy than we?" 

"They are at least free from some of the diseases due 
to excessive consumption of meat, because it is extremely 
difficult to overload the system on a rice diet, although 
one might become too corpulent." 

"How does rice compare with potatoes?" 

"Rice is far superior as an article of food for ordinary 
use to potatoes, although potatoes are much preferred in 
this country." 

"From this, I conclude that the principal objection to 
rice is that people do not like it?" 

"Yes, that is a serious difficulty. People like what 
they are brought up on, and the matter of eating different 
foods is largely one of habit. It is supposed that potatoes 
are much cheaper than rice, yet if we estimate potatoes 
at one cent per pound, and rice at six the difference would 
be very small. Potatoes contain about seventy-six per 
cent of water, so that one pound of rice is equal to about 



RICE, FLAVORING 97 

four or five pounds of potatoes, and if the waste in peel- 
ing be deducted, considerably more would be required to 
equal a pound of rice, so that people who have both to 
buy, rice at some seasons would actually be the cheaper 
of the two." 

"How can the dislike for it be overcome ?" 

"That must be done by cooking and flavoring. Differ- 
ent people like different flavors and individual taste should 
be considered. If nutmeg is agreeable, it may be added 
so that it changes the taste of the rice and makes it pal- 
atable." 

"How about rice pudding, doctor ?" 

"Well, instead of having rice pudding occasionally for 
desert it would be better to frequently make it a consid- 
erable portion of the meal, and by varying the methods 
of cooking and flavoring, the habit of eating rice could be 
as well established as that of potatoes. This would avoid 
the necessity for much of the meat or eggs ordinarily 
consumed, and insure much greater freedom from disease. ' ' 



CHAPTER IX. 

PEAS, BEANS AND LENTILS, KNOWN AS LEGUMES. 

"Doctor, of the foods discussed so far, the starchy ele- 
ment seems to predominate, and, with the exception of 
wheat and oats, the per cent of starch is much too high 
for perfect foods. Are there no vegetable foods contain- 
ing a large per cent of tissue forming substances?" 

"That question is answered by peas, beans and lentils. 
These are different varieties of the same species, or at 
least have very similar properties." 

"Some have urged that beans should be substituted for 
potatoes, What do you think of the idea?" 

"It is scarcely to be compared with the potato in any 
way, and has no such use, but it is used by vegetarians 
to a great extent as a substitute for meat, and to better 
understand them, we give the following table of analysis: 

Water Protein Fat Heat Producers Mineral Waste 

Butter Beans 14.84 23.66 1.63 

Peas (dried) 14.31 22.65 1.72 

Lentils 12.51 24.81 1.85 

String Beans 87.2 2.2 A 

Green Peas 78.1 4.4 1.7 

It will be seen that the variety known as butter beans, 
or Lima beans, has the largest per cent of tissue formers. 
That is, its relation to starch is greater than one to three. 
Peas and lentils are very similar in composition, only 
containing a little higher percentage of starch than but- 
ter beans." 

"Is this for young peas and string beans or the dried?" 
"Well, young peas have still higher per cent of tissue 

99 



49.25 


3.15 




53.24 


2.65 


5.45 


54.78 


2.47 


4.58 


9.4 


.8 




16. 


.6 





100 PEAS AND BEANS 

forming food than the dried, that is, the starch develops 
in ripening more than the nitrogen." 

"How do they compare with wheat gluten?' ' 

"The per cent of starch is about the same proportion 
to the tissue forming substance in young peas as wheat 
germs, but it is not known as gluten but as vegetable 
casein.' ' 

"Which is the more easily digested? " 

"The gluten is far more easily digested because not so 
tough and the particles are more easily separated." 

"Then this must be much against them as an article of 
food?" 

"Not necessarily so. While it is an objection for per- 
sons having weak stomachs, it may be of decided advant- 
age # to others." 

"I don't understand that," 

"Well, exercise of any kind has a tendency to develop 
strength, at the same time, what would be suitable labor 
for a person that was strong might easily cause the death 
of one that was weak. The same principle applies to 
the digestive organs. No food so difficult of digestion as 
peas and beans should be given to those persons who 
have weak stomachs." 

"Then I suppose this is the reason why we should 
continually have in mind the digestibility of food." 

"Yes, like exercise, it must be adapted to the strength 
or the ability of the individual; otherwise, our purposes 
would be defeated." 

"Then where does the utility of foods difficult of di- 
gestion come in." 

"A laborer of keen appetite and good digestion will be 
continually hungry if nothing but easily digested food be 

-I Y^ 



DIGESTIBILITY 101 

consumed, for such persons the legumes are particu- 
larly adapted." 

"A great many people say that peas and beans cause 
flatulence." 

"No doubt that is true. In addition to being tough 
and in a measure insoluble, there is a tough envelope 
covering the pea and the bean which is quite similar to 
the bran found in unbolted cornmeal." 

"What effect has the tough envelope of the pea or 
bean on digestion. " 

"It is a very great factor in the disturbances common 
to their use, for it cannot be digested at all; consequently 
people who have weak stomachs will suffer more or less 
derangement because the pod or envelope retards diges- 
tion and prevents the food leaving the stomach as quick- 
ly as it should. This causes abnormal fermentation, and 
makes the gaseous discharges for which they are most 
unfavorably known." 

••Doctor, is there any remedy for this?" 

"In a measure, yes. Grinding to a fine flour is a great 
aid for it not only reduces the tough covering to a moder- 
ately fine particle, but it also separates the various in- 
gredients and makes them much more digestible," 

"Is this the only remedy?" 

"No, there is another way of getting rid of the difficul- 
ty, and that is to boil six or eight hours and strain through 
a fine collander." 

"What place should the legumes have in our dietaries?" 

"It should have a very important place, especially 
among working people, also those who have fairly good 
health but occasionally have sick headaches, asthma, 
(rheumatism and other ailments due to uric acid." 

"Then you would substitute peas, beans and lentils to 






102 OBJECTIONS TO PEAS AND BEANS 

a considerable extent for meat because they are more 
healthful?" 

"Not that alone, although health is the first considera- 
tion. They are much cheaper than meat, although they 
do not furnish all the fat necessary for a perfect diet." 

"Is it not true that starch makes fat? If so, why is it 
not a perfect substitute for fat, or oils?" 

"Theoretically, that would seem to be true, but prac- 
tically it is only a substitute to a limited extent, for it has 
been found that some fat is absolutely necessary to 
maintain good health." 

"What foods are compatible with peas?" 

"Well, as they contain a large amount of vegetable 
casein — tissue forming food — no lean meat of any kind 
such as beef, chicken, mutton, fish or even eggs should 
be eaten at the same time if any considerable part of the 
meal is made up of either peas or beans." 

"What will be the result if they are?" 

"An excess or nitrogenous or tissue forming food, 
which will be more than the stomach can properly digest 
and the system, especially the kidneys, will be burdened 
to throw off the excess. It should be borne in mind by 
all persons that an excess of tissue forming food is not so 
easily disposed of as either starches or fats, and those 
who habitually eat an excess of this class of food will 
quickly become what is known as bilious. There are 
many derangements of the system resulting from this 
condition that cannot be enumerated under this heading." 

"What effect has acids on peas or beans?" 

"Unlike starch, which is incompatible with acids, the 
digestion of peas, beans, or lentils, is aided by any of the 
ordinary acids." 

"Then fruits may be eaten with them?" 



ACID WITH BEANS 103 

"Yes, acid fruits, vegetables, cereals, butter, cream 
and bacon, but no lean meats." 

"What would be a sufficient quantity of beans for one 
meal?" 

"Well, a saucer full weighing 4 to 6 ounces, would 
furnish sufficient amount of tissue forming food for ordi- 
nary conditions without any meat or eggs." 

"Doctor, you have forgotten to mention bean soup, 
have you not?" 

"That is a good way to use the legumes. They should 
be boiled for several hours and then strained, Beans 
make a wholesome delicious soup in many respects, su- 
perior to meat soups, especially for those persons who 
are subject to uric acid diseases, such as sick headache, 
but soups should be avoided by persons of slow digestion 
or where there is dilatation of stomach." 

"How about young string beans?" 

"They are good if chopped fine enough so that the 
strings are not harmful; otherwise the tough fibrous threads 
interfere with digestion in the stomach and obstruct the 
intestines. For constipation there is nothing better 
among all the garden vegetables than string beans." 

"Doctor what can you say about the properties of as- 
paragus?" 

"It is a vegetable that is used early in the season as 
the ycung tender shoots first put forth. It is quite simi- 
lar to peas in flavor and is much prized by many people." 

"In what way is it different from peas, Doctor?" 

"It contains several properties not found in peas and 
has some medicinal properties. In composition, it is pe- 
culiar to itself, and while it contains a high proportion of 
tissue forming substance as compared with heat produc- 
ing, it contains so large a per cent of water (over 93), it 



104 ASPARAGUS 

does not amount to a great deal as a food. In addition to 
the elements named, it contains gum, alittle sugar, resin, 
stringy fibers, asparagine, acetate, malate, phosphate and 
muriate of potash and lime, and nitrate of iron. It is di- 
uretic, and is said to be somewhat irritating to the mucus 
membranes. Its effects and the reason for them are not 
very well known, but are supposed to result from the 
mineral substances set free during the process of digestion. 
It is usually eaten on toast.' ' 

"Doctor, what are the properties of Arrow Root and 
where does it come from?" 

"Arrow Root is a starch extracted from a tuber that 
grows in the West Indies, principally Bermuda. The 
tubers are washed, dried, and then pulverized, and are 
nearly pure starch. ,, 

"Has it any particular uses?" 

"Yes, it is easy to prepare, keeps longer than corn or 
potato starch, is a bland non-irritating substance and is 
much used for convalescents and in infant foods. Where 
there is inflamation of the stomach and the bowels are 
not affected, such preparations as Arrow Root and those 
of a kindred nature are of great value, because they give 
the stomach almost complete rest and yet furnish some- 
thing on which to sustain life. It is not suitable for in- 
fants under 8 months of age; in fact, no solid food or 
starches of any kind should be given children until after 
they are eight or ten months old." 

"What is tapioca?" 

"Tapioca is very similar to arrowroot. It is made from 
a plant known as manihot, which grows in Brazil, Cen- 
tral and other South American countries, also in the West 
Indies and Africa," 

"Is it much used in these countries?" 



TAPIOCA SAGO 105 

* 'Yes, a flour and bread is made of it and it forms an 
important part of the natives' diet." 

"What causes it's peculiar shape, Doctor?" 
"The tapioca of commerce takes its form in consequence 
of the method of drying on hot plates. The heat used in 
drying bursts the starch globule thereby making them 
more easily dissolved." 

"What food preparations are made of it?" 

"It is used principally as a gruel and for pudding, and 
said to be particularly relished by infants at weaning. It 
does not sour as quickly as many other starches and is on 
the whole, a very pleasant and nutritious food, but re- 
quires, as in fact all starches do, some considerable tissue 
forming food or else the diet will be such as would cause 
disease of some kind. It is often flavored in various ways 
to add to its palatableness. Sago is another starchy food 
very similar to tapioca and arrow root. It is derived 
from the pith found in different varieties of palm in Java, 
Borneo and Sumatra." 

"What special preparations are madeof sago, Doctor?" 

"Sago milk is prepared by soaking an ounce of sago in 
a pint of cold water for an hour or more and then drain- 
ing off the water and adding one and a half ounces of 
milk. This is gradually heated until the sago flour is 
thoroughly incorporated with the milk. This adds much 
to the digestibility of the milk and makes a valuable food 
for persons recovering from fevers or other lingering ill- 
ness. Sago gruel is made by soaking an ounce of the 
starch to each part of cold water for two hours then boil- 
ing for about 20 minutes. Sago does not differ much from 
either arrow root or tapioca, and the same methods of 
cooking and the same uses can be applied to all." 






106 ICELAND MOSS 

"What is Iceland Moss?" 

"It is a lichen sometimes used as a food. It is made 
into bread in some countries. It's principal ingredients 
are gum and starch. It is also used in the food known as 
Blanc Mange. It has been recommended by some emi- 
nent physicians as suitable for use for diabetics. Many 
forms of sea weed and mosses are used by the Japanese 
and other people of Oriental countries, but very sparingly 
in this. Next to potatoes perhaps cabbage is the most 
favorably known of all the garden vegetables. It is used 
entirely in its green state. No method of preserving it 
except in sour kraut has so far as known ever been at- 
tempted.' ' 

"Of what use is cabbage, Doctor?" 

"That is rather difficult to answer. It's a vegetable 
that is much relished by most people. It contains about 
93 per cent water and would require a large bulk to 
amount to much as food. The properties are not in bad 
proportion, as the tissue forming elements being about 2 
per cent are nearly one half the heat producing element, 
which is about 4 per cent. Cabbage contains the stringy 
fibers common to many vegetables, and this is the reason 
doubtless why it disagrees with many people. Boiling of 
cooking softens the starch and other elements of the cab* 
bage, but does not destroy the stringy fibers." 

"What harm do they do, Doctor?" 

"Well, if they are cooked until they are soft, cabbage 
is likely to be swallowed in large stringy lumps as the 
fibers or strings are not easily dissolved, and it is very 
likely to remain in the stomach for a long time. If chopped 
fine and boiled without fat it is sometimes useful. People 
cook cabbage with fat meat and then eat it strings and 
all and I suppose that is the reason why so many people 



OBJECTION TO CABBAGE 107 

can taste the cabbage for half a day or a day after eating 
it." 

"Is there any way of overcoming this difficulty, Doctor ? ' ' 

"The only way it can be overcome is by grinding it up 
fine. It makes very little difference whether it be raw or 
cooked; if raw, it is usually tough and not likely to be re- 
duced to a very fine powder and if cooked, it is likely to 
be swallowed strings and all. The only thing that can 
be especially said in favor of cabbage is that it is an an- 
tiscorbutic, which makes it especially useful in some 
classes of diseases. It contains considerable mineral mat- 
ter, a large part of which is sulphur and if there is any 
malfermentation, the sulphur is the cause of the unpleas- 
ant odorous gases that are produced." 

"What about sour kraut, Doctor?" 

"Sour kraut is the most perfect representation of in- 
digestible food that is known." 

"What do you mean by that?" 

"Well, as explained under the article on digestion, the 
digestibility of any food depends first upon its solubleness 
(how easily its particles can be separated) and second, 
upon how quickly it will ferment. Now, sour kraut is a 
tough, fibrous substance, and is extremely difficult to dis- 
solve, while the starch it contains is already in a ferment." 

•'Then according to this, Doctor, sour kraut is not a 
desirable food?" 

"No, it is difficult to see where any conditions would 
arise that would require sour krout, and the best that 
could be said of it, is that it is an enemy of the human 
family, although persons doing hard physical labor and 
having strong digestion might eat some of it without in- 
jury. 



108 CAULIFLOWER 

"Cauliflower is of close kin to cabbage only more pal- 
atable, less stringy and altogether a more desirable food; 
when boiled, it is fairly digestible and people in good 
health may eat it, but those having a tendency to dys- 
pepsia should not 'call for this flower. ' As to Seakale 
well bleached, is ajbout equal to cauliflower.' '■ 

"The beet is a popular American vegetable. There are 
two varieties, the one known as ordinary beets and the 
other the sugar beet. The sugar beets have never been 
extensively cultivated in this country, except for a short 
period in Nebraska. In Europe the sugar beet is the 
principal source from which sugar is derived — a great deal 
of which is exported to this country. The ordinary beet 
contains about 90 or 95 per cent of water, a little sugar and 
a small amount of other matter, not important enough to 
take much account of as a food. It is therefore almost 
amusing to read the statement made by a scholarly man 
'that young tender beets are very nourishing/ If by 
nourishing is meant that a half peck or peck of them 
would furnish enough sustenance to last a person for a 
day they may be considered nourishing.' ' 

"If there is so little nourishment in them what value 
have they as food?" 

"A great many people are fond of beets. They make 
a very pleasant salad with vinegar and oil, and in that 
way may be used to a limited extent as a relish, but gen- 
erally speaking, they have but little value as food and 
they have no other use worth mentioning except to fill 
the stomach when rich food is not desired. 

"Carrots are classed with succulent roots. They con- 
tain between 85 and 90 per cent of water, 6 or 7 per cent 
of sugar a little nitrogen and a great deal of waste, which 
we ordinarily call stringy fiber. About the s^me can be 



BEETS, CARROTS * 109 

said of the carrot as of cabbage. When they are cooked, 
one is likely to eat them strings and all. There is no ob- 
jection particularly to them, if sufficient care be taken to 
guard against swallowing too much of the stringy fiber. 
The effect of this has already been explained. " 

"What can you say of parsnips?" 

"The parsnip contains over 90 per cent of water, 
about 2 or 3 per cent of sugar and an equal quan- 
tity of starch. It has a rich flavor and a large amount of 
vegetable fiber. It is used extensively for stock food, but 
some people like the flavor very much and when young 
and proper precautions are taken to guard against eating 
the strings it contains, there are no particular objections 
to it." 

"Then I suppose you would consider it a wholesome 
food?" 

"Only for people who are in good health and who do 
hard labor. For persons of weak digestion it is likely to 
cause flatulence." 

"I suppose you like the turnip because it has a "nip" 
at the end?" 

"It sounds rather paradoxical to say that a 'turnup* 
should be turned down, although turnips are slightly more 
nutritious than carrots and parsnips. They contain about 
85 per cent water, 3 per cent of nitrogen, 8 per cent of 
starch, and some mineral matter, nearly 2 per cent of 
woody fiber." 

"Have they any uses for food?" 

"Like parsnips and carrots, they might be useful for 
people who live largely on meat and need some coarse 
substance It would be far better though, if we left 
turnips for cattle and depended more upon the cereals 
to supply the waste matter." 



110, SALSIFY, KOHLRABI 

"What can you say of kohl-rabi?" 

"It is an astringent vegetable and has no particular 
value as food. 

Salsify, oyster plant, is a vegetable, which some people 
prize. It is not extensively used but has some food value 
and is moderately digestible. Artichokes is a tuber simi- 
lar to that of the carrot. It is usually known as Jerusa- 
lem artichoke. It is said to be a much inferior in quality 
to many other tubers. It is raised principally as a food 
for hogs, although it is occasionally used as a food for 
man." 



CHAPTER X. 

TOMATOES. 

"Doctor, would you call the tomato a vegetable or a 
fruit?'' 

"The tomato is classed as a vegetable, although in 
reality it is a fruit. It is used much more extensively in 
this country than in any other." 

"Is that because it is better known ?" 

"Hardly that, although the tomato has not been used 
for as many years as most of the other vegetables. Many 
people can remember when tomatoes first came into gen- 
eral use, and it is probably not more than 25 years since 
the modern varieties were introduced.' ' 

"What properties has the tomato?' ' 

"Different analyses show different results, ranging 
from 89 to 96 per cent water, one to two per cent of tis- 
sue forming food, 1 per cent of mineral matter, and about 
3 per cent sugar, starch and gum, with considerable 
waste materials." 

"Doctor, I was under the impression that the tomato 
had a great deal of acid in it?" 

"So it has; the fruit contains malic and oxalic acids, 
the seeds oxalic acid, amounting to about half of one per 
cent." 

"Has it any value as a food?" 

"It could hardly be called a good food to use continually 

for several reasons. There is too much acid, besides the 

seeds are very objectionable. They are really sharp and 

have a tendency to irritate the mucous membranes." 

hi 



112 TOMATOES 

"Is there anything that you can recommend them for, 
Doctor?" 

"They certainly can be recommended for their flavor, 
for few vegetables equal them as an appetizer and under 
some conditions they also aid in the digestion of proteid 
or tissue forming foods. This is because of their acid. 

"They are also slightly laxative, due to the effect of the 
acids and seeds." 

"I have heard people say that they cause cancer, is 
there anything in this charge?" 

"That is nonsense, but it may have some foundation in 
this ; that people do not distinguish between ulcer 
and cancer. The sharp acid that they contain, together 
with the irritating seeds, might have a tendency to start 
an inflammation in which the seeds could collect and 
cause an ulcer, but an ulcer is so widely different from a 
cancer that they have no necessary relation." 

"How should tomatoes be used?" 

"Tomatoes may be eaten raw or cooked but they are 
really more of a medicine than a food. They should not 
be used at all when there is an acid condition of the stom- 
ach, and their use is very doubtful for any persons hav- 
ing rheumatism or a tendency to the formation of gall 
stones on account of the oxalic acid in them. It is better 
for a relish such as tomato catsup with the seeds removed 
than for any other purpose. They may be cooked and if 
so, should only be stewed in earthen or porcelain vessels, 
never coming in contact with any kind of metal.- Canned 
tomatoes are sometimes bad on account of solder or poorly 
tinned cans leaving acid to come in contact with the iron, 
which makes a dangerous compound. No tin cans should 
be used but once, and it would be far better and safer if 
tomatoes were canned in glass or stone jars. They will 
keep just as .well in glass as in tin if the jars are carefully 



LETTUCE 113 

wrapped with brown paper or kept in a dark place. 

"Lettuce is a green vegetable of not much value for 
nourishment." 

"What is its use then, Doctor?" 

"Well, it contains a mild sedative substance which is 
useful under certain conditions and in some diseases." 

"Will you please describe the uses and advantages let- 
tuce may have?" 

"Case's of diabetes have been reported cured with let- 
tuce, although this is a matter in which mistakes might 
easily be made, but inasmuch as it does not contain any 
considerable starch or sugar, and is quite a sedative, it 
* ought to be of great use in disease of the kidneys of the 
1 character of diabetes, although we would not be willing to 
stand on a declaration that anyone can be cured by a let- 
tuce diet." 

"Is there any other use for lettuce?" 

"Yes, owing to its effects akin to that of opium it is said 
to be good food for sleeplessness and for that purpose 
should be eaten in some quantities late in the evening. It 
has a tendency to diminish action of the heart, and should 
be avoided where there is great danger of heart failure, 
although no attention ordinarily should be given to any 
danger so remote as this." 

"Doctor, as celery is such a favorite with the people, 
no doubt you will be able to say something very good 

about it?" 

"Then you would have me treat the subject according 
to what the people believe and if I am only expected to 
tell them what they already know or what they think 
they know what is the use writing a book?" 

"I confess that you have disarmed me, let us know 
the facts?" 

"Celery contains some 90 to 93 per cent water, about 



114 CELERY 

ij4 P er cent oi cellulose, I per cent of mineral mattei, 
about i to 2 per cent of vegetable albumen and 4 per cent 
sugar and starch." 

"According to that then it is very similar to cabbage?" 

"Yes, but it contains less fiber and also less mineral 
matter, though it has a great deal of both/' 

"Then it is but little superior to cabbage except in fla- 
vor, but the people believe it to be a brain and nerve 
food, is there nothing in this?" 

"Well, it is a pity to shatter their faith, but there is no 

real foundation for the belief, except the bare possibility, 

that the mineral matter might be of benefit to those who 

' are in the .habit of living on food that contains but little 

of the mineral salts." 

"Don't different foods nourish different parts of the 
body?' 

"Not in the sense in which it is used. Tf they did brains 
would be brain food and we would all be wise. Food 
simply furnishes heat and material to replace the waste 
tissue according to the needs of the body, let that be 
wherever it may." 

"Is there any objectionable properties in celery as a 
food?" 

"Not more so than any other stringy food. It is simply 
a question of making it fine enough." 

"How should it be prepared?" 

"It should be chopped crosswise and very fine and then 
stewed until tender and. served with milk, but trie milk 
should not be allowed to boil, only gradually warmed for 
a few minutes?" 

"What is the particular value of celery?" 

"Its flavor. It is an excellent thing to flavor other 
kinds of foods less palatable. The seed as well as the 
stems are also used for this purpose." 



GREENS 115 

"May it not be eaten raw as well as cooked?" 

"Certainly, only those who are in the least subject to 
ailments of digestion should take particular care to not 
'swallow it with its strings. On the whole, celery is one 
of the most pleasant and appetizing of all garden vege- 
table, and as a relish deserves to stand ahead of any oth- 
ers, becuse it is free from acrid and irritating oil found in 
radishes, onions, peppers and other vegetables." 

"Doctor, what are the various kinds of stuff that are 
used for greens?" 

"Beet tops, onion tops, dandelion, sour dock and spin- 
ach. The latter is much more commonly used than any 
of the others. It is the only vegetable cultivated partic- 
ularly for this purpose." 

"What use have they as foods?" 

"They have very little value as food, i. e. so far as any 
nutriment they contain, for they are principally fiber, and 
as ordinarily cooked and served with vinegar, they are ex- 
ceedingly indigestible and likely to cause disturbances 
and irritation of the digestive organs." 

"Why is this?" 

"Well, because it would, as ordinarily cooked, be very 
much like eating a lot of hemp strings. If they are stew- 
ed until soft and simply swallowed, they will unavoid- 
ably obstruct not only the passage of food out of the 
stomach, but the intestines as well, and almost sure to 
cause flatulence." 

"I have always heard that greens are very laxative 
and that they are frequently prescribed in constipation." 

"Yes, as they contain a large amount of waste mat- 
ter, in fact very little else, they are naturally laxative, If 
properly used." 

"How should they be served so as to overcome the ob- 
jection you mention?" 



116 ONIONS 

"The leaves should be chopped crosswise until they are 
very fine and then stewed until tender, that would over- 
come the principal objection to them. Greens are of great 
value where there is torpidity of the liver and lower bow- 
els. They are also useful in another way for diabetes, 
inasmuch as diabetics must live largely on animal food, it 
furnishes a coarse food substance to satisfy the appetite. 
Greens are also of value to people who are corpulent, for 
the same reason. Little nutriment, much bulk." 

''What about serving them with vinegar?" 

•'Vinegar being a fermented liquid, it is objectionable 
to persons who have acid stomachs. If anything sour is 
required to make them palatable, lemon juice is much to 
be preferred." 

"The onion is sometimes facetiously called the Irish- 
man's 4ruit and whether this be a good name or not, it 
will not likely ever be called lover's favorite." 

"Why so?" 

"Because of the odor of a volatile oil which it contains." 

"I never understood how the smell of the onion gave 
such an offensive odor to the breath after eating it." 

"It happens this way; the oil or flavoring matter of the 
onion is taken into the blood in the process of digestion, 
then escapes from the blood because of its volatile ten- 
dency just as soon as it is brought in contact with the air 
in the lungs, and the breath coming from the lungs is la- 
den with the smell of the onion." 

"Is there any way to overcome the offensive odor?" 

"Not entirely, though the fact that the oil is volatile a 
large portion of it escapes when the onions are cooked, 
as everyone knows that in cooking a kettle full of onions 
enough of the oil escapes to scent the atmosphere of the 
whole neighborhood." 

"How should they be cooked?" 



ONIONS 117 

"Like most of the vegetables we have just described, 
it contains a large amount of fiber and is much benefited 
by being chopped crosswise so that the stringy substance 
is well separated with the knife. There is another advan- 
tage in chopping the onions in this way, and that is, they 
cook more quickly and more of the pungent oil is dissipa- 
ted." 

"How long does the smell of the onions remain in the 
system?" 

"That depends upon the quantity eaten and the con- 
dition of the individual. If a considerable amount is con- 
sumed and the person is more or less constipated, the 
onion breath will continue for at least 24 hours; otherwise 
not so long." 

"What about the nutriment of the onion?" 

"The principal element in the onion is gum, with some 
starch and the average of several analyses shows about 
one part tissue forming substance to seven of heat pro- 
ducing, which is not a bad proportion. It also has some 
mineral matter." 

"Why is it that onions disagree with people and that 
they can taste them so long after eating them?" 

"Two reasons. One is, that if onions are eaten raw 
the oil ac^ts as an irritant to persons of delicate stomachs, 
just for the same reason that radishes and peppers do. 
Then there is another reason and that is a raw onion is 
rather difficult to dissolve and considering its pungency 
and its toughness, it is no wonder that people taste them 
for some hours after eating them." 

"Then according to this, Doctor, the onion is not to be 
eaten in the raw state." 

"It is not desirable that way. When cooked, it takes 
a high place as a vegetable. It is somewhat stimulating 
to the system and supposed to be slightly laxative but 



118 PUMPKINS 

not sufficiently so to deserve any special mention. Most 
people prefer cooked onions served with milk or cream. " 

"Garlick and leeks have similar properties to that of 
the onion. They have no especial value except as con- 
diments to flavor other foods. " 

"The pumpkin is the largest of vegetable fruits cultiva- 
ted in this country. It is said that the Indians cultivated 
the pumpkin with Indian Corn for centuries before the 
discovery of America.' ' 

"What property has the pumpkin that people should 
be called pumpkin headed ?" 

"That is probably because they are big and hollow, 
with nothing inside. I have often heard it said of them 
that they were all water, but this is not true, for about 2 
per cent of the pumpkin is sugar. It contains a good deal 
of waste material, which together with the sugar makes 
it a valuable food, in connection with grain of some kind 
for fattening animals.' ' 

"What particular use has it as a food?" 

"Many people stew pumpkin, but pumpkin pies are 
well nigh a universal favorite.'' 

"Is there any objection to the use of the pumpkin as a 
food?" 

"Not ordinarily, but for persons who have an acid stom- 
ach and need to avoid sugar and sweet foods generally, 
the pumpkin is not suitable, although it is a valuable 
food especially for growing children, who tolerate sweets 
and need something more or less laxative. The squash 
belongs to the same family as the pumpkin, although 
some varieties are very nearly identical with that of 
the sweet potato. These are baked and treated very 
much as a sweet potato. They furnish a rich and nu- 
tritious food but not particularly easy of digestion, and as 
they contain a very large per cent of sugar they would 



* RADISH 119 

not be a suitable food where the pumpkin would not." 
"The radish is a garden vegetable that has many 
staunch friends, for many people like it better than any 
other garden vegetable." 

"What is the reason for this?" 

"Because it contains a volatile and aromatic oil that 
gives to it pungency as well as flavor." 

"Some people say that radishes do not agree with 
them, why is this?" 

"The radish is sufficiently pungent to irritate the stom- 
ach ; besides this, it is tough, solid and stringy. It is 
therefore difficult to dissolve and undesirable for persons 
of weak digestion." 

"But, Doctor, there are other people who claim that 
radishes aid their digestion." 

"That is rather doubtful, but if it be true, it could only 
arise from one fact, and that is that the eating of a small 
amount of the vegetable stimulates the secretion of gas- 
tric juice because it irritates the stomach while there is 
not sufficient amount of the tough insoluble part to ser- 
iously disturb digestion. 

As a relish, to eat a bite or two, the radish may be of 
some use, and is certainly very pleasant, but no consider- 
able quantity should be eaten by anyone, no matter how 
good their digestion may be. It is so near all water and 
fiber that it has no particular value as food." 

"Pepper is a name for vegetables which includes quite 
a number of varieties, differing much in their degree of 
pungency. There is the common red pepper used only 
for sauces and then there are both sweet and pungent 
mangos. The mango pepper is used as a case for pickled 
cabbage. The flavor is much relished by many people, 
but it is exceedingly tough and indigestible. It has no 
value as food whatever and peppers do not deserve a 



120 RHUBARB— VEGETABLE 

place in any dietary as food, although they might occa- 
sionally be useful in a medicinal way for pepper tea." 

"Rhubarb occupies a peculiar field among vegetables, 
for it has little similarity except in the manner of its 
growth.' ' 

"What are the properties of rhubarb?" 

"Well, the rhubarb plant, including wine plant, is a 
stringy stalk containing a very large amount of acid and 
some gum." 

"What kind of acid?" 

"The acid of rhubarb is principally oxalic acid. When 
it is stewed a considerable part of it is dissipated. It is ex- 
ceedingly stringy and objectionable on that account. Per- 
sons who have a tendency to an acid stomach should not 
eat rhubarb." 

"Is this the only objection to it?" 

"All persons who have a tendency to the formation of 
gall-stones or stone in the bladder should avoid rhubarb, 
because it may unite mineral substances in the system 
and greatly aggravate the tendency. It is not a desirable 
food but its acid may be useful when no other can be 
obtained." 

"Vegetable marrow is a vegetable that is not extensively 
cultivated but one which some people like very much. It 
is so near all water that it is not especially valuable as a food. 
It contains a small per cent of starchy material, and a con- 
siderable amount of waste. Not much can be said either 
for or against it." 

"Doctor, I suppose you cannot say much good of the 
cucumber, because few people do, except that they like 
it." 

"That is true. A great many people prefer it to any oth- 
er garden vegetable. Its flavor, like many other vegetables 
is because of the aromatic oil it contains." 



CUCUMBERS AND PICKLES 121 

"Why do cucumbers make so many people sick?" 
"There are several reasons for this. It is possible that 
the aromatic oil which gives the cucumber its flavor, has 
some peculiar effect on the stomach, but this is probably 
not the main reason. It is difficult to say which deserves 
the most prominent mention, the toughness of the cucum- 
ber or the sharp seeds. More people are doubtless affect- 
ed on account of the toughness of the vegetable, but 
when the seeds do cause mischief it is of a somewhat vio. 
lent character. It is doubtful if there is any vegetable 
that is on the whole as insoluble as the cucumber, and 
the number of seeds is simply astonishing if they were 
all taken out, and what is peculiar about them is their 
sharp point and straw-like consistence. These some- 
times prick the mucous membrane of the stomach and 
intestines but much more likely the latter. They are in- 
soluble and liable to cause more or less obstruction 
in addition to the irritation. Of course, the cases in 
which the seed lacerate the membranes of the intestines 
are comparatively rare, but it deserves mention.' ' 
"What can you say about pickles?" 
"Pickles are the enemy of the human race. If there be 
a personal Devil seeking the destruction and discomfort 
of the race, it is safe to conclude that one of his methods 
of operation is with the pickle." 

"Why do you say that they are so bad?" 
"Because of their insolubility and because they contain 
enough ferment in the shape of vinegar to disturb all per- 
sons who have weak stomachs." 

"Is there nothing that can be said in favor of the pickle?" 
"Absolutely nothing. There is something peculiar and 
abnormal about the craving for pickles and this is espec- 
ially true of school children, who of all persons ought to 
be the last to eat them." 



122 WATERMELON, NUTMEG 

"How about the craving for something sour — for acids?" 
"Well, acids should be furnished in fruits and not 
pickles," 

"The watermelon has a very significant name, because 
it is more water than any thing else, and the season 
never gets so dry but what the watermelon is still com- 
posed mostly of water." 

"Doctor, what is the composition of watermelon?" 

"The part that is eaten is composed mostly of water, 
seeds, a little sugar and fiber," 

"Why should the watermelon be objectionable?" 

"Because it is often stale, tough and difficult to dis- 
solve and is in that respect much like many of the veg- 
etables. When it is well ripened, and has not stood too 
long after being removed from the vine, it is not more ob- 
jectionable than sugar and water. It has about the same 
advantages with the addition of a small amount of flavor- 
ing matter which is supposed to act as a diuretic. The 
seeds of the watermelon are often used to make a tea for 
the same purpose and are useful in some diseases of the 
kidneys and bladder." 

"The nutmeg or cantelope, is very similar to the 
watermelon, only it is richer. It contains even more 
sugar, is very palatable and a desirable food for those 
who tolerate sugar." 

"Mushrooms are not used extensively in this country, 
because not much effort has been made to cultivate them 
and those found in the woods or field are difficult to gather, 
besides there is great danger of being poisoned by them. 
Some are even so poisonous that they will poison a person 
to handle them." 

"How can the edible ones be distinguished from the 
poisonous ones V 



MUSHROOMS 123 

"They can only be distinguished by people who are 
familiar with them and have some knowledge of botany. 
There are three or four hundred varieties of edible mush- 
rooms found in the United States, and the number of 
poisonous ones is also very large.' ' 

"What are the properties?" 

"The mushroom is very rich in nitrogen, tissue forming 
substance — perhaps more so than any known vegetable." 

"How is it then that it is supposed to cause indigestion?" 

"Well, no doubt much more is charged to it than it de- 
serves because it is usually eaten with other rich foods, 
but as it is usually fried this method of cooking would 
necessarily make it difficult to digest because the prin- 
ciple of frying tissue forming foods is radically wrong. 
Mushrooms, instead of being eaten with meat ought to 
supplant meat entirely whenever any considerable part 
of a meal is made of them." 



CHAPTER XI. 
SUGAR. 

"Doctor, I suppose that most people know what is 
meant by sugar?" 

"Yes, they understand that it is some substance ex- 
tracted from plants and crystallized. They also know 
that it dissolves very readily and easily becomes a fluid." 

"How is sugar obtained?" 

"The sugar of commerce is obtained most largely from 
what is known as sugar cane, although much beet sugar 
is used in this country. The cane sugar comes from tro- 
pical countries while some of the beet sugar is produced 
in this country but more comes from Europe, principally 
Germany. There is also a small amount of sugar made 
from the sap of maple trees and from sorghum cane." 

"Are there any other plants which contain sugar?" 

"Yes, nearly all the plants used for food have more or 
less sugar in them and many fruits are very rich in sugar 
although the sugar of fruits is slightly different from that 
of cane sugar. Fruit sugar is known as levulose." 

"Is there any sugar in meats?" 

"No, but there is a great deal of sugar in milk, especi- 
ally human milk. The milk in sugar is called milk sugar 
or lactose." 

"To what class of foods does sugar belong?" 

"Sugar belongs to the force producers and ranks next 
to fat and starch for that purpose. This being the case, it 
is aptly termed a concentrated food, for it has no waste." 

"In what way is it useful as a food?" 

"Well, the fact that it is found in most of our foods 



126 SUGAR 

would indicate that it had a high place in serving some 
need of the body." 

"This will be very gratifying to persons who are said to 
have a sweet tooth, and they will be quoting you wher- 
ever candy is wanted and for every reprimand received." 

"I am not so sure about that. It does not follow that 
because nature distributes sugar in most of her plants 
that the crystallized sugar of commerce deserves the 
same extensive use, and it is not clear why sugar should 
be added to our foods any more than it be would to add 
extract of beef to a steak or roast." 

"I wasn't expecting such a turn as you have given 
the matter." 

"So much injury comes from the excessive use of sugar 
that some one should warn the people of the fact." 

"I never heard of the injury before." 

"Perhaps you never thought about the needs of the 
system and how much sugar is really used." 

"No, I never did." 

"Well, considering the amount of sugar imported, the 
various kinds of sugar, syrup and molasses made in this 
country, one is surprised how much per capita Is really 
consumed." 

"About how much will it make for each individual?" 

"If we make some allowance for those who scarcely 
eat sugar at all and for small children, we are forced to 
conclude that the sugar eaters average from five ounces 
up to almost a pound per day. Now a pound and a half 
of sugar would furnish enough heat for ordinary exercise 
and weather, without any other food, and it will therefore 
be seen that a large amount of sugar in our diet dispenses 
with other foods. This leaves us a diet so deficient in 
many respects that injury could not help but follow." 



SUGAR 127 

"What is the effect of the excessive use of sugar?" 

"Well, to understand that, we must consider thaS. 
sugar is pure fuel with no waste matter in it and that ev- 
ery particle of it must be burned up in the system or 
thrown out of the system as sugar. Now, where much su- 
gar is consumed it has a tendency to prevent the burning 
up of other foods, and this leads to serious consequences. 
If, however, the quantity of food is reduced in proportion 
to the amount of sugar used, then there is no waste ma- 
terial for the system, or at least it reduces the waste as 
well as the tissue forming foods. If other foods are not 
proportionately reduced according to the amount of sugar 
consumed, there may be congestion of the liver, disturb- 
ance of digestion, excessive accumulation of fat, and 
finally diabetes. If the food be reduced according to the 
sugar, then there will likely be constipation." 

"This is worse and more of it, is there any other mean 
thing you can say about sugar?" 

"Yes, if sugar is not quickly disposed of, it will turn 
to vinegar, and in doing this it is likely to arrest digestion 
and if the food is not properly digested, decay sets in, 
which produces poisonous gases besides other decompos- 
ing substances that are likely to poison the system, caus- 
ing languor, headache, rheumatism, and many other ail- 
ments." 

"I have often heard that sugar would cause the teeth 
to decay." 

"There is not much in this, for the accumulation of 
starch and other food on the teeth would cause them to 
decay without any sugar, but a diet made up largely of 
it would be deficient in mineral matter and would there- 
fore not furnish any natural supply for the bones, as 
well as other parts of the system." 



128 CANDY 

"Is there any difference between sugar and mo- 
lasses or syrup?' ' 

"There is no difference except the quantity of water." 
"How about candy?" 

"Candy is flavored sugar with its crystals broken by 
various methods of manipulation. Other substances are 
often added, to increase the weight or change the texture. 
These are not supposed to be harmful in themselves. 
They consist mainly of such things as starch, and in very 
cheap candy sometimes an earthy substance, choco- 
late, gum and other substances. Gum drops are less 
likely to disturb digestion than candy." 



CHAPTER XII. 
VEGETABLE VS. ANIMAL FOODS. 

"Doctor, is there any enlightened country in the world 
where the people eat as much meat as in the United 
States ?" 

"I don't think there is." 

"Then if it be true that Americans eat more meat, and 
are, as it is claimed, more active and accomplish more in 
a given time, does'nt that prove the superiority of a meat 

diet?" 

"No. It would be just as reasonable to attribute it to 
some one of a hundred other things. Esquimaux live on 
meat, and it would be illogical to say that meat eating 
made the people of the United States great and that it 
kept those of Greenland from any attainments whatever." 

"The altruistic vegetarians are opposed to killing any 
animal for food, on the ground that man has no better 
right to live than the lower animals. What do you think 
of this doctrine?" 

"It is a common thing in this country to call any one 
who is greatly interested in any subject, or who makes 
any innovation on existing things a crank, or a fanatic. 
This is wholly unwarranted, although it strikes me that 
the altruistic vegetarians practice extremely sentimental 
ethics. Life exists in every conceivable grade from the 
simplest vegetable to man, the highest animal. Who can 
tell just at what stage of development it is, or is not 
harmful to destroy it, although there seems to be general 
repugnance to each species destroying its own kind." 

' ' Then you are strongly against vegetarianism ? ' ' 

189 



130 MEAT 

"If you merely mean their antagonism to meat, I am 
much in sympathy with them." 

"I presume that you have some scientific reason for 
antagonizing meat. ,, 

"Yes, many of them, for meat, like alcohol, has impor- 
tant uses, but it is so much abused that it would be better 
for the race if its use were abandoned/ ' 

"But people rely on meat as the main source of strength 
and say they can not live without it." 

"Suppose you tell that to the horse. There is noother 
animal that can stand so much or so varied physical ex- 
ertion." 

"That is so, but the digestion of a horse is better; 
that overthrows the point you make." 

"I don't think so. It proves that the force or strength 
of the tiorse is developed and maintained solely on a veg- 
etable diet, so that the charge that vegetables are not 
strengthening is here disproven, and if there is any fault 
it is in man's digestion or misuse of vegetables." 

"But doctor, the people understand vegetables to be 
such foods as potatoes and cabbage, not bread." 

"That is not a right understanding, for wheat and all 
cereals are vegetables." 

"If it be true, as alleged by many, that vegetables are 
harder to digest, is not that a good reason for not using 
them exclusively?" 

"Well, if we go on the theory that we should eat only 
easily digested foods, then the less effort required the 
better, and we ought, therefore, to eat nothing but pre- 
digested foods and thus relieve the digestive organs en- 
tirely." 

"I don't quite understand you, for you have been con- 
tinually denouncing indigestible foods and now you defend 
them." 



EASILY DIGESTED FOODS NOT NECESSARY 131 

"The point is this: as we exist in this age, our appe- 
tites are perverted and our digestive powers greatly weak- 
ened; these must be strengthened in natural ways/' 

"Then we are to eat foods adapted to our particular 
needs ?" 

"As far as possible. Take eggs for example. They 
are a good food, but it would be a perversion of nature to 
cook them with tobacco, and it is only less so to fry them 
hard in butter or lard. Now, one may require food hard- 
er to digest, and containing more waste than eggs, but it 
does not serve the purpose to merely make the eggs indi- 
gestible by some process of cooking." 

"Doctor, your explanation is quite satisfactory and 
puts the subject of food in a different light from what I 
have ever seen it, but that does not explain what injury 
results from a meat diet." 

"I can better explain the use and then the abuse. In 
discussing animal foods i endeavored to make it plain 
that owing to the chemical composition of meat it 
was not so readily burned up as other foods. Lean 
meat should not be used for heat production but only to 
supply the deficiency of nitrogen common to a diet of 
such vegetables as potatoes. For tissue forming food we 
rely on milk, peas, beans, gluten found in wheat, oats, 
rye and corn, especially Southern corn, and meat. Now 
two things govern the use of these foods; convenience of 
obtaining, and the idiosyncrasies of the individual.*' 

"Then if milk, eggs or beans did not agree and gluten 
was not readily obtainable would you use meats?*' 

"Well, as a general rule gluten is preferable to meat, 
but not always. In continued fevers, like typhoid, meat 
powder and scraped meat are especially useful — the same 
may be said of chronic dysentery and some other dis- 
eases of the digestive organs." 



132 ABUSE OF MEAT 

"How about meat in diseases of the kidneys?" 

"In diabetes, meat must be the main reliance for food, 
but in Bright's disease it is not permissible 1o use meat 
ataIl. ,, 

"Why is this?" 

"In diabetes there is loss of sugar from imperfect oxi- 
dation of starches and sugars, while in Bright's disease 
the defect is just the opposite and the leakage is of albu- 
men." 

"What about the abuse of meat?" 

"I have already explained that the waste of the tissue 
forming foods is eliminated by the kidneys. Now, ordi- 
narily, ths system does not require that more than one 
sixth of the food be of tissue forming character, but a 
much larger per cent of such food is often eaten, and as 
most people stimulate their appetites with either condi- 
ments or liquors, it naturally follows that they eat too 
much." 

"Then as I understand it, the excess of tissue forming 
foods overwork the kidneys?" 

"Yes, excessive meat eating puts too great a burden on 
the kidneys, but this is not the worst effect." 

"What is worse than disease of the kidneys?" 

"The point I wanted to make was not the virulence of 
any disease but certain effects that are well nigh univer- 
sal. If there be imperfect elimination of either the excess 
of meat eaten, or the dead tissue of the body, auto-infec- 
tion will result with some of its numerous diseases." 

"Why should meat be so much worse than other foods?" 

"Because of its composition. You will better under- 
stand this by an illustration. Suppose you take five 
pounds of fresh beef in one vessel and five pounds of 
vegetables in another, then cook each and leave them 
exposed to the air in a warm room, what would result?" 



WHY MEAT IS HARMFUL 133 

"The meat would spoil in a short time and drive every 
one out of the house and almost out of the neighborhood." 

"Then you don't think that the vegetables would 
greatly disturb any one when they spoiled?' ■ 

"No, and I guess I understand your point. You want 
to emphasize the fact that decaying meat is much more 
odorous than decaying vegetables.'' 

"That is it. When meat or vegetables decay in the 
system, their relative effect is very similar to the com- 
parative strength of their odors when decomposing, just 
as I have illustrated." 

"Then you believe that a large per cent of the ordinary 
diseases are caused by excessive meat eating?" 

"Undoubtedly; many people subject to bilious attacks, 
sick headache, rheumatism and other disorders have 
cured themselves by leaving off meat." 

"Doctor, how do you get over the actual experience of 
laborers who say they can do more work on meat and 
even doctors themselves have tried the vegetable diet 
with unsatisfactory results." 

"But more have tried it with satisfactory results." 

"Then that would indicate that it was good for some 
and not for others." 

"That may be a fact, and yet when we consider how 
little is known about the proper preparation of foods, and 
about their properties and uses, it is not surprising that d 
vegetable diet is not satisfactory. How many can teli 
the amount and properties of different foods, that would 
be required at different seasons for a perfect diet?" 

"Certainly not many, for I interviewed more than one 

thousand physicians and only two of them could do it." 

I "Then how can they adjust a diet to their needs? 

Trying a vegetable diet, by bolting down, as is usually 

done, starchy vegetables (like, bread and potatoes) into 



134 DIFFERENCE IN INDIVIDUALS 

an acid stomach, would be absolutely certain to bring 
disagreeable results. Then there are other reasons for 
such failure. Many vegetables contain an excess of 
starch, and if fat and sugar be added as is usually done, 
the excess throws the diet too far out of balance." 

"May there not be some peculiarity in the digestion of 
individuals, so that vegetables suit some best while meats 
are best for others?" 

"That may be possible, and is what is called idiosyn- 
crasy. People who feel discomfort from eating a large 
amount of meat or eggs will unquestionably do better on 
a vegetable diet. If the stomach only secretes a small 
amount of acid and pepsin, and the pancreatic digestion 
is good, vegetable foods will agree much better than 
meats." 

"Don't'some persons have strongly acid stomachs and 
weak pancreatic digestion, who can hardly be said to be 
diseased?" 

"Yes, there are probably such persons, but the stomach 
specialist does not have occasion to treat such stomachs 
until there is disease, so that no one so far as I know, 
has sought such a subject on which to make a test. The 
starches in large quantities would not agree with such 
persons, but I am of the opinion that the vegetable gluten 
found in wheat, peas and beans if properly prepared 
would agree better than meat. The reason why people 
have failed with a vegetable diet is, that they have gone 
too far in substituting starch for meat instead of trying 
something like wheat gluten or nuts." 

"Doctor, after all your predilections seem to be on the 
side of the vegetarians." 

"No, I have no bias or fads, and I speak of things as 
I find them. My conclusions are based on many years' 
careful study of the diseases of the digestive organs and 



VEGETARIANISM 135 

how they are caused and influenced by diet and habits. 
A stomach specialist, who treats chronic diseases of long 
standing is compelled to study cause and effect." 

"Then according to your view, Doctor, the main reason 
why the so-called trials of vegetarians failed is because 
those making the trials did not understand digestion, and 
the proper assimilation of foods?" 

"Yes, that is it; one pound of wheat hearts contains as 
much of tissue forming food as two pounds of steak, and 
it is a fact that many invalids can digest it who cannot 
digest meat, and it is absurd to say that such foods are 
not sufficiently nutritious " 



CHAPTER XIII. 
ANIMAL FOODS. 

"What is meant by animal foods ?" 

"Animal foods are not the foods of animals, as some 
might suppose, but they are the food products that are 
derived from animals." 

"In what way are the animal foods different from the 
vegetable?" 

"In many ways, although they contain some of the 
same elements." 

"Which of the animal foods do you consider the best?" 

"Milk is probably the first and most useful of all foods. 
At least there has never yet been a satisfactory substitute 
as a food for infants, and as it seems to be Nature's meth- 
od of feeding the young, vve ought not, it seems, under- 
take to substitute a method of our own." 

"Why is milk the best food for infants?" 

"Because it provides all the necessary elements, not 
only for sustaining life, but for growth as well." 

"Then, if it supplies all the needed elements, is it not 
equally valuable for grown people?" , 

"It does not follow that such is the case, because they 
do not require any material for growth, but they do re- 
quite proportionately more of heat or force-producing 
foods, because the surface of the body being so much 
larger the radiation of heat is necessarily greater. In ad- 
dition to this the exercise and labor of grown people ne- 
cessitate an increase in food for heat or force production. 
An infant is kept within a warm room and does not 
require very much food for either heat or exercise. It 
needs mainly something on which to grow." 



138 COMPOSITION OF MILK 

"What is the composition of milk?" 
"The per cent of various matters in ordinary cow's milk 
is as follows: 

Tissue-forming substance 3 to 4 per cent. 

Fat 4 per cent. 

Milk sugar or lactose , 3 to 5 per cent. 

Mineral matter f of 1 per cent. 

Total solids being from 12 to 15 per cent. 

The remainder being water. . 
" The analyses of human milk show a range of proper- 
ties, as follows: 

Tissue-forming substances .... 1 to 3 J per cent. 

Milk sugar 5| to 7 per cent. 

Fat 2 to 4^ per cent. 

Mineral matter 1-5 to 1-6 of 1 per cent. 

"It will be seen from this that a fair average would be: 

Tissue-forming 2 per cent. 

Milk sugar 6J per cent. 

Fat 3 per cent. 

Mineral matter 1-6 of 1 per cent. 

In comparing these it will be noticed that cow's milk 
contains a much larger per cent of fat and tissue-forming 
food and a much smaller per cent of milk sugar, than 
human milk." 

"Then, considering this fact, how can cow's milk be 
best adapted for infant feeding?" 

"By adding about twice its volume of water, a little 
extra cream and enough cane sugar to increase the per 
cent of sugar in the milk to that of human milk." 
"Why does milk disagree with so many people?" 
"Milk disagrees with many people because it is not 
properly used; at least, that is the main reason. The 
nrotied or tissue-forming substance of the milk is known 
as casein, and the stomach has a milk-curdling element 



MODIFYING MILK 139 

which at once coagulates the milk, i. e., separates the solid 
matter from the water, making it a solid mass of tough 
curds." 

"What has this to do with its disagreeing with people?" 

"A great deal, the particles of casein when formed in 
curds are too large for easy digestion by persons who 
have weak stomachs." 

"Can this difficulty be overcome?" 

"Yes; one way is to take milk in small quantities, 
swallowing it very slowly, mixing it with saliva, and, if 
it is necessary to use a great deal, it may be given quite 
frequently." 

"Is this the only way of helping the difficulty?" 

"No'; there are many ways by which milk may be made 
easy to digest." 

"What are they?" 

"That depends upon the difficulty. Ordinarily the 
casein is the trouble, but it might be the fat, as some peo- 
ple do not tolerate fat very well. This is especiallv true 
of consumptives. If it is the fat that causes the trouble, 
it can be remedied by skimming. If it is the casein, which 
is most likely, there are many ways of preventing the 
formation of large curds in the 'Stomach. One way is to 
dilute the milk with water. That is a very good way when 
it is not convenient to use any other. Another way, per- 
haps more important than all, is to dilute it with alkaline 
or aerated waters." 

"What do you mean by alkaline waters?" 

"Ordinarily a solution of bi-carbonate of soda or lime 
water." 

"How are these prepared?" 

"To make lime water, take an ounce of slaked lime, 
about twice as much powdered sugar, and to these add 
a pint of pure water. The mixture should be shaken 



140 MODIFYING MILK 

occasionally for some hours and then allowed to stand, 
and the clear liquid drawn off." 

"Which is the best, the lime water or the preparation 
of soda?" 

"The lime water mixture is to be preferred when there 
is a tendency to darrhoea." 

"How is the water containing soda prepared?" 
"Take ten grains of common bi-carbonate of soda 
(baking soda), about an equal quantity of salt, and a 
small amount of light magnesia. This may be added to 
a third of a tumblerful of hot water to two-thirds hot 
milk." 

"What is the principle of using alkalies to dilute milk?" 
"The alkalies neutralize the acidity of the stomach and 
prevent the quick formation of large curds and makes 
them more easily digested." 

"Are there any other methods used for diluting milk?" 
"Yes ; milk may be diluted by barley water (see barley)." 
"What is the principle upon which the barley water 
makes it easier to digest?" 

"The fine particles of starch mix with the milk, and in 
that way separate the particles, or rather, keep them from 
forming too large solid lumps." 

"I have often seen people boil milk. Does that add to 
its digestibility." 

"Boiling milk makes it more difficult to digest, because 
it coagulates the casein and renders it in a measure insol- 
uble. It has this advantage, however: Boiling sterilizes 
it and arrests thereby, all fermentation, and by doing this 
the stomach may digest the milk, whereas, had it not 
been sterilized, the bacteria may have caused fermenta- 
tion or decay. It is better to heat only to boiling point. 
Milk so treated will often be retained when all other 
methods fail." 



MODIFYING MILK 141 

"Does gelatine, or gum, make milk more digestible?" 
"Well, some recommend mixing gelatine or some of 
the gums like gum arabic. If white gelatine, such as the 
Keystone, be soaked until dissolved and then sufficient 
water added to make it pour readily, it makes an admir- 
able milk diluent." 

"The gelatine should be soaked in cold water for sev- 
eral hours and then the cup set in water and boiled ; then 
it is n't to add to the milk. A teaspoonful may be put in 
a nursing bottle with two or three ounces of milk." 
"How is the gelatine prepared ?" 

"Why does taking acids and milk together frequently 
make people sick and cause them to vomit?" 

"Almost any kind of acid, whether it be fruit acid, vine- 
gar or the mineral acids, will coagulate milk. That is 
very noticeable if it be used on cherries or sour berries. 
Now, if a considerable quantity of acid be taken with 
milk, it forms large clots or curds in the stomach, and if 
the stomach happens to be a little sore, the clots irritate 
it sufficiently to cause vomiting." 

"Then, according to this, no one should ever eat acids 
and milk together?" 

"No ; they are wholly incompatible." 
"What about cream?" 

"Cream is that part of the milk which rises to the top 
of the can after it has stood for some hours. The reason 
it does this is because the fat or oil is not as heavy as the 
milk." 

"What is the ordinary composition of cream?" 
"Good, cream ordinarily contains about two-thirds o! 
its bulk of fat, one or two per cent of casein or tissue- 
forming food, two or three per cent milk sugar, and a 
trace of mineral matter." 

"What are some of the particular uses of cream?" 



142 CREAM 

"Cream has many ancl varied uses. There is no fat or 
oil which ordinarily agrees with a disabled stomach so 
well as cream, although in some constitutional maladies 
cod liver oil has greater value. The reason for this is, 
that cream is one of the most easily digested of all the 
fats because its particles are more readily separated. It 
is of great use in diseases of the stomach" where digestion 
can be performed in the intestines, and as fat is not greatly 
acted upon by the secretions of the stomach, cream gives 
the stomach rest, and furnishes a large amount of heat 
for the body. For fattening purposes, cream is especially 
desirable, and people who wish to put on fat for their 
comfort or their beauty, can often do so more quickly by 
using a large amount of sweet cream, than in any other 
way. Pure cream is not affected by acids to the same 
extent as milk, but milk and cream as ordinarily used is 
incompatible with acids." 

"Doctor, I have 'heard a great deal about milk infection ; 
is it really a serious matter, and if so, what are some of 
the causes?" 

"Yes, milk infection is much more serious than the 
people suppose, because there is no food which so readily 
takes up poisonous bacteria as milk." 

"How does the infection ordinarily occur?* 

"One of the great sources of infection is from the ves- 
sels in which it is kept or handled. Typhoid fever has 
been spread in many cases by washing the cans . from a 
well that was infected, and while the cans would appear 
to be perfectly sweet, they still contained deadly poison. 
Then again, milk will absorb poison in cellars contain- 
ing foul air or in a sick room, where there is disease. 

Another source of contagion is from the animals them- 
selves. They are often kept in filthy, disease-breeding 
6tables, milked by persons whose hands are perhaps both 



MILK INFECTION 143 

diseased and filthy, and then the milk is often allowed to 
stand around in open cans and buckets, in foul-smelling 
stables and yards." 

"What is the remedy for this?" 

"Of course the greatest remedy would be cleanliness, but 
as the people who usually supply milk are beyond the 
reach of those who buy it, the only thing to be done is to 
strain it and treat it in such a way that disease-breeding 
bacteria will be destroyed." 

"How may this be done?" 

"Doubtless the best way to strain milk and be sure that 
it contains no part of barn-yard filth, is to take a piece of 
cotton, sterilize it (by boiling) and then put it in a funnel 
and strain the milk through it. There is also a process 
of purifying by centrifugal force. The most popular way 
for rendering inert any germs in milk is by pasteurizing, 
though it is alleged that infants fed on pasteurized milk 
have developed rickets." 

"How is milk pasteurized?" 

"Well, in substance it is keeping milk at a temperature 
of about 160 to 170 degrees Fahrenheit for a half hour or 
more and then allowing it to cool." 

"Does this greatly affect the character of the milk?" 

"No. The change in taste is very slight, probably not 
noticeable at all. For ordinary use the best way to ster- 
ilize milk is to take bottles that have been cleaned with 
boiling water; then take the corks and clean them thor- 
oughly with boiling water and punch a small hole through 
them. Fill the bottles with milk and then take a kettle 
of boiling water and add a small amount of cold water 
to reduce the temperature slightly, and set on top of a 
stove or where it will get only limited amount of heat. 
Put the bottles of milk up to the cork in this kettle of hot 
water and allow them to stand thirty or forty minutes, and 



144 PASTEURIZING AND STERILIZING 

then stop the hole in the cork with hot wax or sterilized 
cotton. The water should not be allowed to get cooler 
than 175 degrees F." 

"How long will milk keep if treated this way?" 
"Pasteurized milk has been kept sweet for a year or 
more, but the ordinary precautions taken are not sufficient 
to insure the absolute destruction of all bacteria, but if 
it be done with any care at all, the milk will keep several 
days, if put in a cool place." 

"What is the difference between pasteurizing and steril- 



izing: 



"in 



"Well, in pasteurizing the average temperature is about 
165 degrees F. This temperature if kept up for some 
length of time destroys ordinary bacteria, but not all 
germs of every description. To sterilize milk it must be 
raised to a temperature of 212 F., which changes the taste 
very much " 

"This is merely a process of boiling?" 

"Yes; the reason why people do not succeed better 
with these processes is from the fact that after sterilizing 
the milk they put it in vessels that are not sterile; whereas 
they must not have been only sterilized, but the cover 
also must be sterile. In addition to this they must be 
sealed up air-tight as soon as they are taken out of the 
sterilizing apparatus. It is not much use to sterilize milk 
and then pour it out and let it stand in an open vessel." 

"What uses has milk as an article of diet?" 

"Its principal uses will be discussed under various dis- 
eases, but milk has great value as. an article of food in 
health, as well as disease. It is not, however, suitable for 
an exclusive diet for grown people, because it does not 
furnish a sufficient quantity of heat-producing material, 
but being rich in tissue-forming substances there is no 
food equal to milk for growing children; it also furnishes 



MILK AS FOOD OR DRINK 145 

the most available and one of the most desirable additions 
to either cereals or vegetables." 

"But most people say it makes them bilious?" 

T 'There is some foundation for this charge from the 
fact that milk does not contain sufficient waste material 
for most people, and as it is usually drunk in bulk, a glass 
at a time, it is apt to form large curds in the stomach, 
whereas if it is only sipped, a spoonful or swallow at a 
time, the difficulty would be entirely overcome, and if 
treated by any of the methods described, there are very 
few people with whom milk cannot be made to agree." 

"How can its use be varied so that people will not get 
Hired of it?" 

"There is no particular objection to flavoring it with 
anything that may be agreeable, such as nutmeg or cin- 
namon, and if necessary to use it extensively, it may and 
should form the principal part of puddings." 

"Then you do not consider milk of itself a good drink?" 

"It is not a good drink for many people, although if 
equal parts of hot water and milk be mixed, there is no 
other drink that can be taken at meal time that can be 
compared with it. The merit, of course, is in the milk, 
and the hot water merely prevents the formation of large 
curds.* 

"What other kinds of milk are used in addition to cow's 
milk?" 

"Goat's milk, jennet's milk and mare's milk. Koumiss 
was originally prepared from the latter in Russia, but its 
use has extended over all Europe and America, and it is 
now made of cow's milk." 

"Are there not many kinds of foods derived from milk?" 

"Yes; butter is the most favorably known. Some one 
has remarked that if bread be the staff of life, butter is 
its golden head." 



146 BUTTER BUTTER MILK 

"Does butter agree with people better than other kinds 
of tat?" 

"Butter is to be preferred to any other fat in general 
use except cream, although a very great amount of diges- 
tive disturbance results from the improper use of butter." 

"How is that?" 

"Well, if butter be poorly worked a considerable amount 
of milk remains in it which soon becomes rancid. This 
is of course easy to detect and the people ordinarily re- 
fuse to eat it. But while this is true, it is a common no- 
tion that rancid butter is all right for cooking purposes, 
and it is no uncommon thing to hear people inquire of 
produce dealers for cooking butter." 

"What wrong is there in this?" 

"No wrong, I suppose, in inquiring for it. The wrong 
is in using it. In the first place, butter ought not to be 
used for cooking at all." 

'Why?" 

"Because heat bursts its fat globules and sets free both 
lactic and butyric acid, and if any one wants to be cer- 
tainly dyspeptic all they need to do is to eat plenty of 
fried food cooked in rancid butter, or, for that matter, 
butter of any kind. 

"How about buttermilk? Some people say that butter- 
milk is more wholesome than sweet milk." 

"It contains about the same properties found in sweet 
miTk, except, of course, that it is partly fermented and has 
lactic and acetic acid." 

"Is not this a serious objection?" 

T That would depend upon the kind of bacteria that 
Caused the fermentation." 

"Why, then, should sour milk be more easily digested 
than sweet?" 

"Only for this reason : that in becoming sour, the parti- 



CHEESE 147 

cles of casein are much more evenly distributed than if 
taken into the stomach and curdled there by the acid of 
the stomach; so that sour milk has the curd broken and 
might be more easily digested on that account" 

"Is not sour milk also used for making biscuits?" 

"It is; but it is always more or less difficult to know 
just how sour it is, so that too much or too little soda 
may be used." 

"Of what is cheese made?" 

7 'Cheese is made of milk with or without cream. The 
milk is curdled by rennet, which is taken from the stom- 
achs of slaughtered animals." 

"Doctor, cheese is said to be a very rich food." 

"So it is, for it contains some thirty to forty per cent 
of tissue-forming substance and from seven to thirty-five 
per cent of fat. It also contains a small amount of milk 
sugar and ordinarily about four per cent of mineral mat- 
ter." 

"Why is is that cheese disagrees with so many people ?" 

w It has been well said: 

'That cheese is a bewitching little elf, 
Digesting everything except itself;' 
and I have siphoned out the contents of stomachs six 
hours after meals and found everything digested except 
the cheese." 

"How do you account for this?" 

"Well, cheese is a decayed food and probably excites 
a greater flow of gastric juice than any other common 
food. The reason it is not easily digested is because it 
is thoroughly infested with bacteria that have passed 
through an acid fermentation, and are, therefore, not read- 
ily acted upon by the gastric secretions." 

"Is cheese, like milk, incompatible with acids?" 

"Yes, more so; this is especially true of tannic acids 



148 CHEESE CONDENSED MILK 

found in blackberries and raspberries. Cheese eaten with 
these will often cause an attack of catarrh of the stomach. 
Very strong tea is incompatible with both cheese and milk 
on account of its tannic acid." 

"Doctor, it looks as though you had cut cheese out of 
all dietaries." 

"So I have; it is not suitable to eat with starchy vege- 
tables; but a small quantity might be eaten with meat, 
beans or peas." 

"Then crackers and cheese don't go well together?" 

"No. If a meat and egg diet be necessary, cheese might 
be occasionally added to an advantage; but it does not 
deserve an important place as a food, and must not be 
used at all when the stomach is inflamed." 

"Pot cheese contains about twenty-five per cent of tissue- 
forming .elements, about seven per cent of fat and consid- 
erable mineral matter. When freshly made, it is said 
to be very wholesome and digestible, and quite similar to 
buttermilk." 

"How is condensed milk made?" 

"Condensed milk is made by evaporating ordinary 
milk at a low temperature until it is about the consistency 
of honey. It has alPthe properties of milk and usually 
has about forty per cent of sugar added to it." 

"What is the use of adding the sugar?" 

"The sugar preserves it and makes it keep better than 
it otherwise would." 

"How long will condensed milk keep?" * 

"Properly sealed, it will keep almost indefinitely." 

"What is the use of condensed milk?" 

"It is used extensively on voyages and under other cir- 
cumstances when it is not convenient to get fresh milk. 
It should not be substituted for fresh milk except when 



MALTED MILK ICE CREAM 149 

unavoidable, but it is preferable when good milk is not 
obtainable, or cannot be kept sweet." 

"Malted milk is made by evaporting milk similar to the 
method of condensing it and then adding the malt, which 
is a digestive agent made from barley and wheat. Malted 
milk has great value in many diseases." 

"Evaporated cream is the same as evaporated milk, ex- 
cept that only half or two-thirds of the cream is removed, 
whereas, in ordinary evaporated milk, it is all removed." 

"There is much discussion about the healthfulness of 
ice cream." 

'That can easily be, because it is used to considerable 
extent in diseases of the stomach, especially ulcer; at the 
same time, it is also the source of many digestive disturb- 
ances." 

"How do you harmonize these conflicting effects?" 

'Well, it is this way: Ice cream is made of wholesome 
and nutritious ingredients and where there is inflamma- 
tion, and the stomach in a condition that no solid food 
can be taken, it has a soothing effect; but ordinarily, ice 
cream is eaten with much other food and entirely too 
quickly, because pleasant to the taste, and easily swal- 
lowed. The stomach was never intended for a refrigerator, 
and when so used, it is often very disastrous, because it 
arrests digestion, and to a certain extent paralyzes the 
nerves of the stomach, causing languor and headaches, 
and very often catarrh of the stomach and diarrhoea." 

"Then you would strongly condemn it, or at least as 
ordinarily used?" 

"Yes, as it is now used it certainly does much more 
harm than good; but if eaten very slowly on an empty 
stomach", or with very little other easily digested food, 
like dry crackers, there is no reason why ice cream should 
seriously injure any one, but to people who will swallow 



150 



MILK SHAKE 



a spoonful at a time and eat two or three dishes, there is 
almost certain to be ill effects following its use." 

"What is milk shake?" 

r 'Milk shake is made from ordinary milk, to which vari- 
ous flavoring substances have been added to suit the taste. 
It is then agitated at a very rapid rate, usually with a ma- 
chine constructed for the purpose, until it is thoroughly 
aerated.'' 

"Is it a good and healthful drink?" 

"It is ; the aeration adds much to the digestibility of the 
milk. It is very palatable, wholesome and nutritious/' 



CHAPTER XIV. 
MEAT. 

The propriety or impropriety of slaughtering animals for 
food, according to the altruistic views of vegetarians, does 
not come within the proper scope of this book; hence, we 
have nothing to say on this subject." 

"Then you believe in treating foods according to their 
merits ?" 

"Yes." 

"What place does meat deserve among our foods?" 

"Speaking in a general way, it would not be far wrong 
to say that it deserves the long side of neglect" 

"Why so?'-. 

"Because its use is so much abused." 

"In what way?" 

"By cooking it until it is indigestible and then eating 
from three to six times as much as the body needs." 

"Doctor, if you can demonstrate that, the butchers 
and doctors will be after you for damage done their 
business." 

"I don't see it in that way, for the people will have just as 
much money to spend and the doctor and butcher will 
get just as much of it as they do now, but in some other 
way." 

"But where is your proof?" 

"Well, to begin with, let us examine the composition of 
beef. It ranges as follows: Proteid or tissue-forming 
substance, from thirteen to twenty per cent; fat, from ten 
to thirty-three per cent; mineral matter, from one to three 
per cent ; water, sixty to seventy-five per cent. This estimate 
is made without the bone. It will be seen from this, that 

151 



152 BEEF COMPOSITION 

the two principal elements of beef are fat and tissue-form- 
ing food " 

"Is the fat valuable?" 

"Not especially so. Beef fat is much more solid than 
many other kinds. It is not particularly pleasant to the 
taste and has nothing to recommend it. Cream and but- 
ter, and many other fats, are better for general use." 

"Then the value of meat must be in its tissue-forming 
element ?" 

"It is principally so." 

"Then what is your objection to meat?" 

"Well, as already explained, foods only serve two pur- 
poses; that of repairing the waste of the body, and fur- 
nishing it with fuel. Now, if an examination be made of 
the ordinary cliet of persons who eat bread and potatoes, 
and more or less of other vegetables, it will be seen that 
the per cent of tissue-forming elements according to prac- 
tical, instead of theoretical standards, is not much too 
low." 

"Then, if it is not needed in the system, what becomes 
of it?" 

"It must be converted into tissue, heat, or be excreted, 
and as many have a tendency to eat too much heat or 
force-producing food, the surplus cannot, in such cases, 
be converted into heat, but must be excreted from the 
system." 

"In what way?" 

"By the kidneys in the form of uric acid and urea." 

"How about the savages who live almost exclusively 
on meat?" 

"There is no doubt but what their strength and endur- 
ance was of a very high character, but that is easily ex- 
plained. The Indian, in his" original savage state, was not 
cursed with the frying pan, nor was he handicapped by 



BEEF EATING 153 

hereditary weaknesses common to the frailties of civiliza- 
tion. But these are not the principal reasons. It was his 
out-door life, roaming over forests, mountains and valleys, 
that gave him a vigor of constitution which made it possi- 
ble to live on any kind of a diet which furnished the neces- 
sary nutriment." 

"Then injury from meat is not apparent, provided it be 
wholly used up in the system?" 

"That is it; but the fact that it isn't used up makes us 
deal with conditions just as we find them." 

"What is the consequence when the surplus of meat is 
not used up and has to be thrown out of the system by the 
kidneys?" 

"Well, that may go on for a considerable time without 
any apparent injury, while in many people, some disorder 
would be noticed at once. It has been learned by one of 
the greatest physicians of England that headaches, asthma, 
rheumatism and many other of the common ailments, 
are, to a large extent, due to the defective excretion of 
nitrogenous waste matter from excessive use of meats." 

"How is it that trainers for athletic contests use meat 
almost exclusively?" 

"No person having regard for the truth could fail to 
speak of these matters as they are, and it is not my pur- 
pose to advocate any food merely to support a theory." 

"Then you recognize that trainers have gotten good re- 
sults from a meat diet?" 

"There is no doubt of that, any more than that good 
results have been obtained without meat." 

"But, Doctor, you say that the evils resulting from meat 
diet are great. How do you harmonize that with what 
you have said about the diet of athletes?" 

"That is easy enough. The conditions under which a 



154 BEEF FOR ATHLETES 

prize fighter is trained are very different from the ordinary 
individual." 

"In what way?" 

"Well, for a prize fighter, the greatest care is taken in 
the selection and preparation of his foods, and the food 
is supplied in amounts exactly suitable for his condition. 
Then in addition to this, the great amount of physical ex- 
ercise burns up or uses up every bit of food taken into the 
system, and besides the exercise, the baths and massage 
make the skin very active in eliminating the effete tissue. 
Such conditions cannot be compared in any way with ordi- 
nary living." 

"You spoke of the athletes having their meat very care- 
fully prepared." 

"The greatest care is taken in cooking meat for a prize 
fighter, and it is usually done in this way: Three choice 
steaks are cut, placed together and put on the broiler; 
the first coming in contact with the fire until it is cooked, 
and then the three are turned over so that the top steak 
is brought in contact with the broiler. The middle steak 
is cooked from the heat of the other two, and besides ab- 
sorbs more or less of their juices." 

"Then the prize fighter eats the middle steak?" 

"Yes, he gets the best and the rest is either thrown 
away or fed to admiring animals not in training." 

"Why not apply this principle, as far as possible, to 
cooking all meats ?" 

"It should be. There is no article of food so badly 
cooked as . meat. Tender, raw meat is, comparatively 
speaking, easily digested ; but meat cooked until it is solid, 
especially if it be fried, is very difficult to digest, and some- 
times seems absolutely indigestible." 

"Why is it worse to fry it than to cook it in other ways?" 

"Well, a very important part of the digestion of meat 



HOW TO COOK MEAT 155 

should take place in the stomach, while fats are not di- 
gested there at all. Now, to coat the food that the juices 
of the stomach act on, with fat, amounts to smuggling it 
through the stomach without digestion. Of course, this 
is not absolutely so, but the tendency is strongly in that 
direction, especially for persons of weak stomachs. This 
explains why lean meat that is fried until it is hard, is 
such a fruitful source of dyspeptic troubles." 

"How should meats be cooked?" 

"If soup is desired, the meat should be covered with 
cold water and gradually warmed and then stewed at 
a low temperature until the meat is sufficiently tender. 
The way to make a roast tender, is to first immerse it in 
boiling water and then put in an oven and roast at a 
low temperature." 

"What is the object in this?'' 

"The object is to coagulate or sear the entire outer por- 
tion of the meat so that no juices can escape." 

"Can this be done in any other way?" 

"Yes, by putting it into an oven that is very hot, or by 
enveloping the meat in a layer of dough, which accom- 
plishes the same result. The whole object is to cook the 
surface of the meat and form such a coating as will not 
allow either heat or juices to escape. Then, after the sur- 
face is treated in this way, the meat should be cooked at 
a low temperature. This will make it much more tender.'* 

"How about cooking steaks?" 

"The same principle applies to steaks. The only way 
to cook a steak is to broil it — frying is abominable. Steak 
should be cut thick and put on a broiler — charcoal pre- 
ferred — and cooked on one side and then turned over and 
broiled on the other quickly, so as to preserve the natural 
juice of the meat. It may be skillet-broiled the same way." 

"Then you would add butter to it afterwards?" 



156 BEEF TEA BROTHS 

"No, the practice of adding butter (often strong at 
that) would seem to be a very bad one, because it is al- 
ways objectionable to heat butter, and the flavor of the 
meat is quite equal or superior to the flavor of the butter. 
If butter be added while hot, it is about as objectionable 
as if fried." 

"Beef tea is a preparation extensively used for the sick, 
but as ordinarily made it has very little nutritive value." 
"What is wrong with the ordinary methods?" 
"In order to get the solid matter out of meat, it must 
be macerated in cold water. If a great deal of heat be 
applied, it simply coagulates the proteid elements and 
makes them solid, and keeps all the valuable part sealed 
in the particles of meat, instead of dissolving in the water. 
The meat extracts of commerce are made by chopping the 
meat into, fine particles, and then adding sufficient amount 
of cold water to soak thoroughly. Of course more of 
the solid matter would be dissolved, if the meat is occa- 
sionally bruised a little. After it has stood for some hours 
it is pressed so that as much solid matter as possible is 
gotten out of the meat in this way. "Where no press is at 
hand, the macerated meat may be put in a coarse cotton 
or linen cloth and the juice squeezed out with a lemon 
squeezer. It should then be cooked at a low temperature 
and flavored to suit. "Not much cooking is required. 

"Beef broth is made by stewing beef bones and gristly 
substances with portions of meat. If they are first soaked 
in cold water, and cooked at a low temperature, the water 
will absorb much more from the bones and the soup be 
much richer and more palatable." 

"How do you make meat powder, or scraped meat?" 
"One way is to scrape the meat of a tender beef-steak 
that has been broiled according to directions Heretofore 
given. The small particles that are gotten out. of thej 



VISCERA 157 

steak with a dull knife or spoon, are quite nutritious, while 
no considerable amount of coarse matter is taken up in 
this way. Another way to treat meat is to chop it fine, 
cook and dry by slow fire for several hours and then grind 
it in a mill until it is reduced to a fine powder. All of 
these methods of treating beef may be useful in typhoid 
fevers, or even in lingering illness of any kind." 

"Are there not many parts of the animal used for food 
besides the flesh?" 

"Yes; the pancreas, thyroid gland, what is known as the 
third stomach of the cow, called tripe, the heart, liver, 
kidneys, brains and sometimes the blood." 

"What is the sweetbread?" 

"Strictly speaking the sweetbread is the thyroid gland, 
although the pancreas is known and sold by that name." 

"Have these any food valui 

"The sweetbread is said to have considerable value, is 
easily digested and is supposed to have a great deal of 
merit in regulating certain disorders of nutrition." 

"What about tripe?" 

"The Germans eat tripe, but not many Americans. It 
is very similar to meat, but is more easily digested. 

"The heart is considered very tough and undesirable as 
a food, although it is very rich in tissue-forming material." 

"Doctor, I suppose the liver is more extensively used 
as food than any other organs of the animals?" 

"Yes; a great many people are fond of liver, and it is 
much more tender than either the heart or meat, but is 
less nutritious. If the liver and the kidneys are cooked for 
a great length of time, they become tough and difficult 
to digest. Many people are fond of animal brains. The 
constituents are very similar to that of eggs, only perhaps 
somewhat richer in fat. The blood is not used to any ex- 
tent in this country, but it is used as a food in foreign 



158 GELATINE VEAL 

countries. Tongue is largely fat and is about as hard to 
digest as fat pork." 

"As gelatine is an article of commerce, I suppose the 
people would be glad to know something about its prop- 
erties. What can you say of it, Doctor?" 

"Gelatine is an important part of bones, tendons and 
ligaments, and it is from these that the gelatine of com- 
merce is manufactured. It is somewhat different from 
meat, and will not of itself support life, but it is a very 
valuable food and is easily digested. The Keystone gela- 
tine, made by the Michigan Carbon Co., is much superior 
to gelatine formerly sold." 

"Is it not used extensively in making jellies?" 
"Yes, it is. Ordinary jellies that are manufactured and 
sold through the trade, are mainly gelatine colored and 
flavored, and very often with essential oils instead of fruit 
flavors. They are much more easily digested than home- 
made fruit jellies, but much less palatable." 
"How does veal compare with beef as a food?" 
"One would naturally suppose that veal would be very 
much more easily digested, and in every way superior to 
beef, because calves for veal are young and tender." 
"How does the composition compare with that of beef?" 
"Veal contains considerable less fat than beef; other- 
wise, the per cent of tissue-forming substance is about the 
same as that of round steak, but is not so easily digested." 
"Why is it not far more digestible, being so much more 
tender?" 

"That is a matter in which authorities do not quite agree. 
Veal is much more favored in Europe than it is in this 
country, and the only reason that can be given why veal 
should disagree with people is because of the closeness 
of its texture, and it is probable that it is due to this fact 
that the digestive juices of the stomach do not penetrate 



MUTTON 159 

it as quickly as ordinary beef or any other fresh meat. ' 
"Doctor, you speak of mutton as though it was a com- 
mon article of food. It may be that you have not boarded 
much, and therefore are not acquainted with the fact that 
it is lamb that is universally used and not mutton; at least 
it is always lamb on the bills-of-fare." 

"One would think that lamb was too innocent a subject 
for use in perpetrating a fraud." 

"In what way does mutton differ from beef?" 
"It does not differ materially from beef except in flavor. 
It is supposed to contain more fat and less mineral sub- 
stance, but the difference is not great. Mutton is about 
as difficult to digest as beef, although the fat is still firmer 
and more likely to disagree than the fat of other animals." 
"At what age does the sheep make the best meat?" 
"It is said that animals at least three years old make 
the best mutton, and that the main reason for the superi- 
ority of mutton produced in England is due to the greater 
age of the animals. Mutton is said to be somewhat con- 
stipating, but it is doubtful if it is more so than other lean 
meats." 

"Venison from a young deer is believed to be the most 
palatable and easiest to digest of all meats; but as few 
people have an opportunity to eat venison, its composi- 
tion is not a matter of great importance, although it is 
very similar to that of lean beef." 

"Doctor, why does meat spoil so quickly?" 
"That is partly due to the blood that is in it The pre- 
vailing method of slaughtering animals is to shoot them 
or strike them a blow in the head. This is a good method 
for the butcher, but not for the meat." 
"Why so?" 

"Because the shock paralyzes the body and keeps in 
most of the blood, thereby increasing the weight of the 



160 



METHOD OF SLAUGHTERING 



meat. If animals are bled to death the meat is superior 
in quality and will keep longer and it is really a more hu- 
mane way to slaughter them." 



CHAPTER XV. 
PORK. 

"Doctor, you are not going to forget the hog, are you?'' 

"No, I see him too often for that; but I guess you mean 
pork." 

"Yes, I mean the porker." 

"Pork probably forms the most important part of a 
meat eater's diet; at least, more people eat pork than 
beef." 

"A great many people say pork is not fit to eat?" 

"Yes; some people say the same thing of beef, 
while there are others who say that neither is fit to ea' 

"But why should there be more prejudice against pork 
than other meats?" 

"Well, it may be that some people believe that the devils 
that were driven into the swine are still there, but most 
likely the prejudice to pork is because of the amount of 
fat it contains." 

"Does not fat have as much place as lean meat for a 
proper diet?" 

"The needs of the system for fat are certainly just as 
urgent as for lean meat, but from the fact that ordinarily 
it does not require as much fat as lean, it is for that rea- 
son supposed, by many, to be unnecessary. Then again, 
many people take the fats needed in the form of butter, 
cream or oils." 

"What real value has fat for food?" 

"That will be treated under fats and oils. This much, 
however, might be said, that fat for many people is 
somewhat nauseating." 

"Why so?" 

161 



162 FAT AND LEAN MEAT 

7 That is exceedingly difficult to determine, but one thing 

is well known, that when consumption has once taken 

hold, it frequently happens that one of the first and most 

; noticeable signs is repugnance to fat Just why it should 

cause nausea, is difficult to say." 

"Don't fat agree with some people better than lean?" 
"Yes, it does. Some people have good pancreatic di- 
gestion and can therefore eat fat meat and starches with- 
out the slightest feeling of discomfort, while the same per- 
son may not be able to tolerate any lean meat without 
feeling great distress, such as weight in the stomach, etc." 
"What effect has the fat meat as compared with the 
lean?" 

"The primary or first use of lean meat is to supply 
tissue, while that of fat is to supply heat, although fat en- 
ters into many tissues, but does not form the frame-work 
or connective part." 

"Then the reason that pork is more difficult to digest is 
because of the excess of fat it contains?" 

"That is probably the principal reason, although pork 
is a firmer meat than beef, and is, therefore, naturally 
more difficult to disintegrate." 

"How about the composition of pork?" 
"Well, it does not differ greatly from ordinary beef in 
amount of tissue-forming food, but has from double to 
three times the amount of fat, but less water." 

"The question naturally arises whether salt meat or 
fresh meat is the most healthful?" 

"That is easy to settle so far as digestion is concerned. 
Salt in considerable amount itself retards digestion. Be- 
sides that, meats that have been heavily salted become very 
firm. It follows then, that if salted meat be fried, the 
salt, together with the process of frying, makes the meat 
almost or entirely indigestible. The objection to fried 



SALT MEAT BACON HAM 163 

meat has already been explained, but perhaps it ought to 
be repeated so many times that the people would get tired 
of seeing it, because there is no one article of food which 
does so much mischief as fried meat. Fat bacon not in- 
cluded." 

"How then would you treat bacon ?" 

"Bacon, if all fat, is comparatively easy to digest, and 
would not be more difficult than any of the other fats, 
and while frying is objectionable for bacon, it is far less 
so than for lean meat. Broiled bacon is comparatively 
easily digested, and if fat food be needed, it is well-nigh 
as valuable as butter or cream." 

"Suppose ham or pork be boiled?" 

"Boiled ham is as good as other meat, for the boiling 
takes up a considerable portion of the salt and makes the 
meat much more soluble; in fact, there is no comparison 
between boiled and fried ham. In certain diseases of the 
stomach, boiled ham is the most useful of all meats." 

"How about the composition of ham?" 

"It has about the same general composition as pork — 16 
or 18 per cent, of tissue-forming food; and 35 to 40 per 
cent of fat." 

"Is fresh pork a good article of diet?" 

"It might do very well for people who have been around 
the world four or five times. " 

"But not many people have been around the world that 
many times." 

"That's the point." 

"Doctor, I suppose that chickens and turkeys stand first 
among common meats?" 

"That is true; for the chicken is always an easy victim, 
and can be caught and forced into the pot after company 
comes. n 



164 FOWL 

"But that don't make it good. What is its value as 
food?" 

"Of all the meat foods, it is the richest in tissue-formers. 
It contains only a very small per cent of fat, is not very 
tough, and there are no unusual difficulties or objections 
to it. We can therefore say that on the whole, it is the 
most digestible of all the common meats. The dark meat 
of a chicken is richer and more difficult to digest than the 
white." 

"What is the difference between the chicken and the 
turkey?" 

"The turkey contains more fat, but both contain on an 
average nearly twenty-five per cent of tissue-forming food. 
The chicken, ordinarily, has only three or four per cent of 
fat, while the turkey has eight or ten." 

"Are chickens and turkeys different from ducks and 
geese?" 

"Not very different, except that both ducks and geese 
contain more fat. This is especially true of the goose, for 
it has been known to be more than one-third fat. Fowls 
like turkeys and geese, containing a large amount of fat, 
are less digestible than chicken." 

"How does wild game, such as pigeons, quails and part- 
ridges, compare with chicken?" 

"The properties are about the same, only as a rule they 
are more tender." 

"How should these various kinds of fowls be cooked?" 

"By stewing or roasting. It is just as objectionable to 
fry chickens as it is beef, for the same reason; that is, 
that the fat, to some extent, prevents the action of diges- 
tive juices in the stomach." 

"Doctor, fish is ordinarily considered a much lighter 
diet than meat; is there good reason for this belief?" 

"Well, there is an occasional person with wEom fish 



FISH 165 

does not agree, although fish is far less objectionable as 
an article of diet than meat." 

"On what ground?" 
, "Because fish is much more easily digested — their fiber 
is shorter. They contain ordinarily only a small per cent 
of fat, a considerable amount of phosphorus, and do not 
produce the many ill effects resulting from uric acid ten- 
dencies common to an ordinary meat diet." 

"How does fish compare with beef or pork?" 

"Fresh fish has about the same amount of tissue-forming 
substance as good steak, but ordinarily not more than half 
as much fat." 

"Then you strongly recommend fish as an article of diet 
in place of meat?" 

"It would be far better for meat eaters if they ate less 
beef and pork, and more fish." 

"Are there any diseases in which fish have particular 
value as food?" 

"Yes; in diseases of the kidneys, such as B right's dis- 
ease; also in gout and other diseases." 

"How should fish be cooked?" 

"Broiled or baked. It is just as objectionable to fry 
fish as any other kind of meat." 

"Are there any people who eat reptiles?" 

"None but savage races, although the Europeans and 
Americans and other races are fond of turtles, which 
really belong to the general class of reptiles." 

"Is the turtle a good article of food?" 

"It is very similar in composition to chicken, only the 
oil and the flavoring matter is more pronounced, and for 
those who like turtles, this is probably the reason why they 
prefer the turtle to most other kinds of meat." 

"Are there no other kinds of food that should be classed 
with meats?" 



166 SHELL FISH 

"Yes, there is probably no food in any class that is so 
universally liked as oysters. As the Irishman facetiously 
remarked, 'the oyster is the favorite American bird/" 

"Why is this?" 

"Doubtless because of the richness of its flavor. There! 
is nothing extraordinary about it otherwise." 

"Some people believe oysters to_be very nutritious." 

"Pound forpound, they are only about half as nutritious 
as beefsteak, and not more digestible, unless eaten raw. 

"Why better raw than cooked? 7 * 

"For this reason : When an oyster is stewed a portion 
of it becomes quite tough; instead of being easily digested, 
it is difficult." 

"Are they not better when roasted?" 

"If they can be roasted in the shell and only lightly 
cooked, they should be almost as digestible as when eaten 
raw." 

"To what class of foods do they belong?" 

"Tissue-formers. They furnish very little fat or fuel for 
the body and should only be eaten with bread, potatoes, 
or cereals of some kind." 

"How should they be cooked?" 

T 'Roasting is preferable. If not convenient to roast, they 
may either be baked or stewed, but never fried." 

"What about eating them with various kinds of pickles?" 

"The pickles would be very likely to disagree if the oys- 
ters did not. If anything sour is desired, they should be 
eaten with lemon juice." 

"I have heard of cases of poisoning by oysters." 

"Yes, that sometimes happens when the water around 
the oyster bed has been contaminated. They have been 
known to cause an epidemic of typhoid fever, but they 
are not so likely to cause disorders of digestion as the 
lobster, or crab. Shell fish are scavengers, and many urge 



FISH POISONING 167 

that their use be discontinued because of the many cases 
of poisoning produced by their use." 

"The lobster is the most likely to produce illness?" 

"Yes, lobsters are more likely to disagree with weak 
stomachs and cause violent attacks of indigestion than al- 
most any other food. All shell-fish, and other fish too, 
for that matter, seem to be particularly bad when tainted 
with decay, so that there is hardly any substance which we 
could eat, more likely to poison than tainted fish, whether 
it be canned salmon, oysters, lobsters, or any kind of fish 
whatever. Everything in the way of fish is better if used 
fresh. They should be carefully kept in ice in warm 
weather." 

"Doctor, I suppose you will attack the egg with great 
vigor, and probably shell it out of its house and home?" 

"You have hit it eggsactly," said the doctor, "although 
at times it takes a great deal of courage to face it." 

"Well, Doctor, I like to face them if fried with good 
ham." 

"Ham and eggs is a favorite combination, but a pro- 
lific source of dyspepsia." 

"I thought eggs were the easiest of all foods to digest." 

"Yes, that is the general belief. A raw egg is, but a 
fried one belongs to the class of never or forever." 

"Why are fried eggs so bad?" 

"Because every bit of heat that is applied to an egg 
makes it harder, and when it is fried for a time, it is 
very much like leather. Then if to this condition fat be 
added until it is thoroughly saturated, it becomes as dif- 
ficult to digest as hard fried ham, and the two together are 
enough to send anybody to the doctor." 

"I have always understood that the egg was very nu- 
tritious?" 

"So it is, but it has been overestimated by a great many 






168 EGG 

people. It furnishes all the necessary elements for the 
life of a chick, and has therefore all that is necessary to 
support the life of an individual." 

"Then eggs ought to be one of the most useful of all 
the articles of diet?" , 

"Yes, they are useful; at the same time, there are some 
objections to them." 

"What are they?" 

"They contain almost the smallest amount of waste 
matter of any food, and are therefore constipating. A 
great many people dare not eat them on this account." 

"Is there no way of overcoming this difficulty?" 

"There is no way of changing the egg. The only thing 
that can be done is to eat them in small quantities, say 
one af a time with food containing a large amount of waste 
matter, such as the cereals with part of their bran, or with 
coarse vegetables." 

"Doctor, I have often known people who were told not 
to eat meat, and they thought they were not disobeying 
when -they ate eggs." 

"In that case, they kept the letter of the command, but 
not the spirit, for practically eggs are the same as meat." 

"In what way do they differ from meat?" 

"Well, eggs have about fifteen per cent tissue-forming 
substance, and twelve per cent fat. This is only a trifle 
below that of ordinary steak, with which they favorably, 
compare. 

"Which contains the least waste matter, meat or eggs?" 

"Meat is less constipating than eggs, although if there 
be a tendency to headaches and what is known as uric acid 
condition of the blood, eggs are much less objectionable 
than meat." 

"Then eggs properly go with a vegetable diet?" 



USE OF FAT 169 

"Yes, meat and eggs make the diet too strong on the 
side of tissue-forming food." 

"Have eggs any other special value?" 

"They are good for a quick lunch, or rather a drink. 
One or two raw eggs with the juice of half a lemon makes 
an admirable drink, and if one is greatly crowded for time 
there is nothing more suitable than egg lemonade." 

"Why is this?" 

"Because it does not require any mastication, and the 
acid helps digest it. They are easily digested, and no 
injury results, because they are swallowed in a hurry, 
which would not be the case with any other food." 

"Since you say that eggs must not be fried, I suppose 
you advocate that they be boiled or poached ?" 

"Eggs may be boiled, poached, roasted or baked 
(called shirred), and you can lay down a general rule 
that the less an egg is cooked, especially the white, the 
better, although the yolk will stand cooking until it be- 
comes mealy." 

"With the exception of milk, eggs are the best for feed- 
ing the sick, and are sometimes better than milk. Albu- 
men water is made by stirring the whites of eggs in water. 
A pinch of salt and a little flavoring may be added. 
Equal parts milk and egg is much more nourishing than 
milk alone. The yolk of eggs is richer than the white, 
and should be used largely where a very rich diet is nec- 
essary, as in consumption, anaemia, and other diseases." 

"Doctor, a great many people do not distinguish be- 
tween fat and flesh." 

"That is true, but there is a great difference." 

"Will you kindly explain it?" 

"Fat is both fuel and covering for the body, and before 
a person dies of starvation about eighty or ninety per 
cent of it will be used up. The principal use for fats when 



170 FATS AND OILS 

taken into the system is for tHese purposes." 
"There is not much waste matter then in them?" 
"No, there is practically none at all. Fats that are 
taken into the system as food, if absorbed, are either 
stored, or burned up in the production of heat and force." 
"How much of the system is composed of fat?" 
"An average person is supposed to be about one-fifth 
fat, although many people have a much higher per cent." 
"You say that fat is used as a covering for the body?" 
"Yes, fat prevents the radiation of heat, and this is the 
reason why a fat person usually eats less and requires less 
clothing to keep warm." 

"What kind of foods produce "fat?" 
"All the fats and oils, fcotfi animal and vegetable, to- 
gether with starch and sugar." 
"Has fat any other use?" 

^t is of use in giving persons a comely appearance, and 
also for storing energy, so that in the event of illness or 
deprivation of food, life can be sustained for a consider- 
able length of time without any food at all. I suppose 
that most persons are familiar with the fasting experiment 
of Tanner, who lived forty days without taking any food 
except water." 

"Is there any material difference between the fats and 
the oils?" 

"Only a slight difference. They have essentially the 
same composition whether they be animal or vegetable 
oils." 

"Why is it that fats disagree with so many people?" 
"That is quite difficult to answer, but it is believed that 
when a considerable quantity of fat is taken with the 
food, that it coats the food and prevents the action of the 
digestive juices in the stomach, very much as it does with 
fried meats, although most persons can eat a fair amount 



FREE FATS 171 

of fat taken as butter or cream. Such fats as butter, lard, 
and oil, are called free fats. The fat globules are not 
held together by any tissue. Free fats are much more 
likely to cause indigestion than emulsified fats, or when in 
the form of fat meat or powdered nuts." 

"What is the objection to fried fats?" 

"Heat bursts the fat globules, and the fat being to a cer- 
tain extent burned, a chemical change takes place which 
makes an irritating fatty acid." 

"Then that would affect lard, would it not? 

"Lard can be made at a very low temperature if it 
is done properly, and frying it out or rendering, so called, 
does not necessarily make it more indigestible than other 
free fats." 

"Is not lard used much too extensively in cooking?" 

"It is very much better for ordinary use than butter, 
but, at the same time, frying almost any kind of food 
is not in harmony with good living, but is very much 
worse for some kinds of food than others. Dyspeptics 
should use free fats sparingly, if at all." 

"What kind of fats are tallow and suet?" 

"Tallow is ordinary beef fat, and suet is the kidney fat 
of beef." 

"Are there not many mixtures of these used under va- 
rious names?" 

"Yes, they are mixed with cotton-seed oil — possibly 
other kinds of oil, — and sold extensively for the same use 
as lard." 

"How is oleomargarine made?" 

"Oleomargarine is beef fat treated with a few chemicals 
mixed with a small amount of butter and sold for butter." 

"I did not know that it contained any butter." 

"The ordinary formula for making oleomargarine does 
not include butter, but it is sometimes put through a 



172 BUTTERINE AND VARIOUS OILS 

process that they call churning with milk to give it a 
flavor of butter. The different compounds of oleomar- 
garine and butterine are made in different ways, but are 
substantially the same product" 

"Are they healthful?" 

"They are better than poor butter, but being some- 
what more solid, are a little more difficult to digest." 

"Doctor, you said a moment ago that cotton-seed oil is 
used?" 

"Yes, the manufacture of cotton-seed oil from cotton 
seed has grown to be an important business. It is re- 
fined and as already mentioned, is then mixed with other 
fats for cooking purposes." 

"How is olive oil made?" 

"Olive oil is made from very ripe olives. It is used 
principally as a table oil for salad dressing. It is claimed 
that many other kinds of oil are sold under the name of 
olive oil." 

"What other kinds of oil are used for food?" 

"Cocoanut oil, peanut oil, and cocoa butter, the latter 
being made from cacao seeds used in the manufacture of 
cocoa. These various oils vary in flavor, and slightly in 
composition, but are used for the same purposes." 

"Doctor, you forgot cod-liver oil, did you not?" 

"While cod-liver oil is a food, it is usually prescribed as 
a medicine." 

"Why is that?" 

"The cod-liver oil contains some chemical elements not 
found in other oils, but it is probable that it is often pre- 
scribed because heretofore no other oil suitable for ad- 
ministration was readily obtainable." 

"For what purpose is cod-liver oil prescribed?" 

"To get an oil that is easily absorbed in the system. 
Persons afflicted with consumption or wasting diseases 



COD LIVER OIL GLYCERINE 173 

have a continual tendency to grow thinner. This is be- 
cause the system does not take up and absorb enough 
heat-producing material to prevent the destruction of the 
tissues of the body for heat production; or to make it 
plainer, the system must have heat, and when not fur- 
nished by the food, it burns up its own tissues until the 
system wastes away, and it is to prevent this wasting that 
consumptives take cod-liver oil and other fats, — cod-liver 
oil being preferable, because more readily absorbed." 

"What kind of a product is glycerine?" 

"Glycerine is sometimes described «as the sugar of fat. 
A very poor description, but gives a faint idea of its 
character. It is the part of fat which does not readily 
saponify in the manufacture of soap. It is not used to any 
considerable extent as a food." 

"Are not fats and oils frequently given as cathartics?" 

"Some oils are used for that purpose. The tendency of 
all fats and oils is to be slightly laxative." 



CHAPTER XVI. 
FRUITS 

"Doctor, I cannot remember a time when I did not hear 
about the healthfulness of fruit, and yet it is claimed that it 
often makes people ill." 

"Yes; the people believe that fruit eating is conducive to 
health, and the whole race, it seems, has been disposed to 
follow Adam who ate the apple against the command- 
ment." 

"If fruit be so healthful why don't those who are ailing 
(and that includes a large per cent of the people) eat it 
and get well ? v 

"Your question assumes a great deal, and is therefore 
hard to answer. Probably the difficulty is in being able 
to determine the proper use of fruit." 

"It seems strange that the learned doctors of the world 
should not have found this out in several thousand years." 

"That is not so strange after all; for it should be borne 
in mind that very few persons in any profession make 
any extensive original investigations, and it is only due to 
the modern achievements in chemistry, which enable us 
to analyze the secretions and excretions of the body with 
the digestive processes, that has thrown any light on the 
uses of fruit." 

"I was under the impression that a good many theories 
had been advanced why fruits were particularly beneficial 
in promoting health and curing disease." 

"So there have. It has been urged by writers on diet 
that fruits assisted in burning up the starches, and in the 
production of heat; by others that it was the mineral salts 

175 



176 HEALTHFULNESS OF FRUITS 

that made them valuable. These are not all the theories, 
for they have been numerous/' 

"Is there no truth in these theories?" 

"As to the first it is the opposite of truth, because acids 
and starches are entirely incompatible, so that fruits con- 
taining acids cannot help the digestion of starch, sugars 
or fatsj neither does it directly help their absorption or the 
process of burning them up." 

"It is generally believed that fruits are laxative. There 
must be some truth in this?" 

"Well, not all of them at least." 

"Then according to your views no correct explanation 
as to the use of fruits has ever been made." 

"No; the proper uses of fruits are still unknown to the 
laity, and only partially known to the medical profession, 
but as no satisfactory explanation has been given for their 
use, it is not clear when they are useful and when likely to 
be injurious. Their palatability has probably caused their 
popularity to a greater extent than their efficacy in a 
medicinal way." 

"Then that accounts for the fact that their use some- 
times does harm, while at other times seems to be just 
what the system required." 

"Ordinarily it is a mere accident, if fruits are properly 
used. In all fermentative conditions of the stomach, 
diarrhoea, or other acute inflammation of the stomach or 
bowels, fruits should not be used." 

"Then, Doctor, if you have found out all the uses of 
fruits, you can do a great deal toward enlightening the 
world." 

"I can hardly make a claim of that kind, and I didn't 
mean that I had learned all there is to be known on the 
subject. My remark was more in the nature of a lament, 
because so little was really known." 



USES OF FRUIT 177 

"At any rate, Doctor, you have my curiosity aroused to 
a high pitch to know what you regard as the principal 
uses of fruit?" 

''Well, in discussing the question of digestion, I told 
you that the entire digestive tract from the mouth down- 
ward was lined with a soft membrane, called mucous 
membrane. Now, the one great, fundamental use of 
fruits is to cleanse the mucous membrane" 

"Then all the other uses are secondary to this?" 

"I would hardly put it in that way, but rather say that 
the benefits usually ascribed to 'fruits were incidental to 
the cleansing of this mucous membrane." 
i "That is not very clear." 

"Then I will explain." 

"One of the effects said to be due to fruit eating is that 
it is laxative." 

"Then how does that result from the cleansing of the 
membrane?" 

"When the membranes are cleansed the secretions are 
better able to perform their functions, and besides that, 
it causes food and detritus and mucus to be removed." 

"How does it do that?" 

'The fruit acts on the membranes, probably killing the 
bacteria, and when that happens, they naturally pass 
away. Then it acts in another way. It increases the. 
specific gravity of the urine, i. e., the weight, which 
makes it possible for it to carry away more of the solids 
of the body waste." 

"Then the removal of effete tissue, mucus and excess of 
nitrogenous foods not used in the system, is helped by 
increasing the weight of the urine?" 

"Yes; by increasing the eliminating capacity of the 
kidneys." 



178 WHY FRUIT CLEANSES 

"Can you demonstrate what you have said about the 
effect of acids?" 

"Yes ; you can do that in part for yourself." 

"I should like to try." 

"Take a lemon and suck the juice and allow it to come 
in contact with as much of the membranes of the mouth 
and throat as possible. If there is any accumulation of 
mucus, that the acid touches, it will be removed." 

"I have often done that, but I never thought of that as 
being the chief action of fruits, but I can readily believe 
from my own experience that what you say is true." 

"Yes it is true, and I have demonstrated the other fact 
so often that I can positively say that fruits increase the 
specific gravity of the urine." 

"To what is its action due?" 

"Partly due, no doubt, to its power to destroy bac- 
teria ami partly to the fact that the acids by contact with 
mucous membranes stimulate them to activity. Anyone 
with a coated tongue who will eat something like sour 
apples or lemons will have the coating quickly removed. 

"Then under what conditions are fruits beneficial?" 

"Whenever there is torpidity of liver or congestion with 
mucous secretions and whenever there is excessive alka- 
line fermentation in the bowels." (See diseases of liver 
and intestines.) 

"When are fruits harmful?" 

"Whenever there is an excessive acid condition of the 
stomach, intestines and urine." 

"How are we to determine these different conditions?" 

"Excessive acidity of the stomach is indicated by one 
of the most common expressions, 'heart-burn.' This is 
really not a condition of the heart as one would suppose 
from the sensation this feeling gives, although it seems 
directly in the region of the heart." 



FRUITS, WHEN HARMFUL 179 

"Yes, I have often experienced such a sensation, at times 
amounting to absolute pain, and have been alarmed, 
thinking it might be a disease of the heart. Now, Doc- 
tor, can you not give me a clear explanation of what this 
is, and in what manner it is brought about?'' 

"I will try to do so, as it is one of those conditions 
which while not necessarily harmful, causes much un- 
easiness and alarm at the same time, and if the 'heart- 
burn' be continuous, it is the forerunner of serious stom- 
ach trouble." 

"Then 'heart-burn' is the result of irritation of some 
part of the stomach?"' 

"Yes, the burning sensation is at the upper part, called 
the esophageal end, which is parallel and within an 
inch of the heart; hence the error in supposing that it 
came from the heart. You will better understand how 
the burning sensation occurs, when I explain that the 
esophageal end of the stomach lies in folds something 
like the gathered end of a tobacco pouch. Now, when 
there is an excess of acid in the stomach with gaseous 
distention, the folds at the esophageal end arc stretched 
out, which leaves the entire surface exposed to the irritat- 
ing influence of the corroding substance in the stomach. 
It is this that causes the burning sensation called 'heart- 
burn.' " 

"May there not be an excessive acidity without 'heart- 
burn?'" 

"Certainly. Acid eructations or uneasiness two hours 
after eating food, show too much acid; also excessive se- 
cretion of gastric juice (as distinguished from excessive 
acidity from fermentation) comes within the principles 
excluding the use of sour fruits." 

"Will you explain the symptoms of excessive gastric 
secretion?" 



180 FRUITS, WHEN HARMFUL 

"That will come under diseases of the stomach (see ex- 
cessive or hyper-secretion, page . . . .)." 

"Doctor, is it not a fact that heart-burn often results 
because of torpid liver and inactivity Of the bowels ?" 

"Yes." 

"Then acids are indicated for the liver, and contra-in- 
dicated for the stomach. How do you harmonize the 
two?" 

"In such cases it may be well to neutralize the contents 
of the stomach by an alkali and then not eat the usual 
evening meal. By kneading the abdomen for ten minutes 
before retiring, the stomach should be entirely empty by 
morning. Now if the juice of a half lemon be added to a 
teacup of moderately hot water, and be drunk without 
sugar an hour before breakfast, and the abdomen again 
kneaded # to clear the stomach, it will be in good condition 
for a breakfast of a soft boiled Qgg and a little milk. 
This treatment is only for ordinary attacks of indiges- 
tion, resulting from torpidity of liver. Where the inflam- 
mation has been continuous and of long standing, fruit 
acids are harmful, because the membranes of the stomach 
are too sensitive, and acids increase the irritation." 

"Is there any serious injury done by eating fruits?" 

"Yes, great injury. Besides the acid condition of the 
stomach, where sour fruits are harmful, there are many 
acute attacks of diarrhoea, cholera morbus and similar 
complaints which are brought on by eating tainted,, tough 
or green fruit." 

"What do you mean by tainted fruit?" 

"Fruit that has commenced to decay. As a rule, peo- 
ple have a keen relish for almost all kinds of fruit, and 
as the flavor Is better in its natural state than when 



TAINTED FRUIT 181 

cooked, it is often served that way when it is really dan- 
gerous to health and life.*** 

"Why is this?" 

"Because a large per cent of fruits are partially spoiled 
before they reach the consumer, and if eaten without 
being cooked, violent disturbances of the digestive organs 
are likely to result. If fruit of any kind be spoiled in the 
least, it must be cooked sufficiently to arrest all fermen- 
tation; otherwise, it is unfit for use." 

"What kind of fruits are the most likely to be spoiled ?" 

"Probably strawberries and peaches, but all fruits, such 
as berries of every kind, plums, pears, bananas, and even 
apples and grapes are sometimes tainted with decay." 

"I suppose that a speck or so in an apple would not 
injure it any, if all the decayed part was removed?" 

"An apple with a rotten speck is not fit to eat unless 
well cooked; no matter how sound a part of it may seem, 
the apple is contaminated." 

"It would seem that people would learn better than to 
eat spoiled fruit?" 

"But they do it, and it furnishes the doctors half their 
business or more, at certain seasons of the year, when 
fruit is moderately plentiful, and the weather favors de- 
cay." 

"Does cooking stop all decay?" 

"Yes, for a time, but it must not be understood that 
cooking restores rotten fruit, but when the decayed parts 
are removed, the cooking makes what is apparently 
sound, but merely contaminated, eatable." 

"Then fruit is after all dangerous?" 

"It ought not to be, but until the people learn that 
spoiled fruit begets familiarity with the doctor and the 
undertaker, the injury will go right on." 

"When should fruits be eaten?" 



182 FRUIT AS DIGESTIVE AGENTS 

"You ought to have added the purpose for which they 
are to be used; also the kind of fruit and the condition 
of the individual, for all these are modifying circum- 
stances. To get the best effect, it should be eaten on an 
empty stomach, that means three or four hours after 
meals, or better still, an hour before breakfast. This 
of course applies only to acid fruits without solid matter. 
Rich fruits like figs and bananas should be eaten with 
regular meals." 

"Does eating acid fruit on an empty stomach aid di- 
gestion?" 

"Very much, and relieves constipation, provided of 
course, the condition of the patient is such as to indicate 
the need of fruits." 

"Under what other circumstances would fruits aid di- 
gestion?" 

"Well, fruits to a certain extent supplement the natural 
gastric secretion, especially in the digestion of tissue-form- 
ing food, such as meat, eggs, oysters, peas, beans and 
wheat gluten. These foods will be more readily digested 
when acid fruits are eaten with them, provided of course, 
the stomach is not already too acid." 

"When are fruits indigestible?" 

"When they are solid or tough. Green fruit is always 
more or less solid, and if it is pulled green, it may appar- 
ently ripen, but still be exceedingly tough. Fruit of this 
kind ought to be let alone, unless cooked until soft." 

"This would strike fruits that are shipped long dis- 
tances?" 

"Yes, peaches and bananas and some other fruits that 
are shipped a long distance, and ripened in cellars or in 
boxes, are not suitable to be eaten raw." 

"Boys seem to have a strange weakness for green ap- 
ples, but the apples can hardly be said to have a weakness 



WHEN TO EAT FRUIT 183 

for boys, because they often lay them out. Why is this?" 

"Because they are tough and acrid. They are not 
easily disintegrated, and therefore irritate the lining mem- 
brane of the digestive organs, and cause diarrhoea." 

"Then when any kind of fruit is hard or tough it should 
not be eaten?" 

"Not in its raw state, and not when cooked unless it 
cooks soft." 

"Is it proper to eat fruit at meal times or between 
meals?" 

"Fruits that are not very sour may be eaten at meal 
times with any kind of food. Sour fruit when permis- 
sible at all may be eaten with meat, beans, peas, eggs, 
oysters, but not with milk, bread or vegetable foods con- 
taining much starch, such as rice, potatoes and oat-meal." 

"Does not the use of fruit have a tendency to increase 
the consumption of sugar, which you say is too great 
already?" 

"It does, but it ought not to be so, for there is no reason 
or need for covering fruit with sugar as many people do." 

"But it is disagreeable to taste and disturbs some peo- 
ple's stomachs." 

"As to taste, that is much a matter of habit, for most 
fresh berries and fruits are better as pulled, than with 
sugar, and as a rule it is the sugar that disagrees, or if 
not, it is the tough skin or seeds. Of course, if acids 
are taken where there is already too much acid in the 
stomach, that would of itself be a cause for increasing the 
unfavorable symptoms." > 

"Is there any way of treating sour fruits so as to make 
them palatable without sugar?" 

"Yes, if it is not desirable to use sugar, bi-carbonate of 
soda (common baking* soda) may be added to sour fruits 
when cooking. This neutralizes the excessive amount of 



184 APPLE 

acid. However, many of the sourest fruits like cranber- 
ries should not be used at all by some people, while others 
may use such fruits with sugar, without any apparent 
ill results." 

"You mention. skins and pits as causing injury?" 

"Yes, all skins, seeds, especially seeds of any consider- 
able size, should be separated, and never swallowed; but 
this will receive further mention when we discuss each 
particular fruit." 

"Which of the fruits do you consider most valuable?" 

"In tKe temperate zones, the apple. The apple is king 
of fruits, and one is tempted to say of it: 
Blessed be thy crimson cheek, 

Kissed alike by the sun and the breeze; 
So good, so beautiful, so divinely meek; 

There is none thy equal, on earth or seas." 

"That is beautiful, Doctor, and shows poetic genius, but 
why does the apple so inspire you? I hope that you 
haven't been drinking apple jack?" 

"Well, if the apple be worthy of a place in the songs 
of Solomon, who says, 'As the apple tree among the 
trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons ; and 
then again he says, 'Stay me with flagons, comfort me 
with apples/ Surely if Solomon could say so much, why 
should not the doctor, who appreciates their excellencies, 
be equally enthusiastic in their praise?" 

''Then you think Solomon showed his wisdom in so 
strongly praising the apple." 

"Yes, no doubt he could have spoken in still more elo- 
quent terms, could he have tasted some of our Nineteenth 
century fruit," 

"I suppose that one of its good points is that we have 
it all the year?" 

"Yes, that is one, and a very important one. Another 
is that the apple is the least harmful or misused of all 



APPLE LEAST MISUSED 185 

fruits; for it is seldom used with any serious injury; in 
other words, it is the least likely to be misused." 

"What are the many other good traits that you ascribe 
to the apple?" 

"Well, another excellent thing about the apple is the 
variety. There are some 300 varieties in cultivation, each 
different from the other in flavor, and varying from the 
sweetness of sugar to the sourness of the lemon, or nearly 
so." 

"Doctor, what is the average composition of apples?" 

"They vary greatly, ranging from about eighty-two to 
ninety per cent water. The food elements are princi- 
pally gum and sugar — the sugar varying according to 
variety, but it usually runs from five to seven per cent. 
The apple ordinarily has very little tissue-forming ele- 
ment; it is strictly a heat producer, so far as you could 
consider it as a food." 

"What about the waste matter of the apple?" 

"It is only about two per cent including the skin and 
the core, and without these it would be very small, so 
that the apple is not laxative because of this, for nearly all 
the vegetables, and for that matter, nearly all foods, have a 
larger amount of waste matter than the apple has, ex- 
clusive of core and skin." 

"There must be something else that makes the apple 
so valuable?" 

"Yes, its particular effect results from the acids and 
mineral matter. There is usually about one per cent 
of malic acid, although of course among the numerous 
varieties this would vary greatly. The apple also con- 
tains considerable potash and soda, and a trace of lime, 
magnesium and iron. Some have reported that laborers 
could live on the apple alone, but we doubt this very 
much. In this respect, it has rather less tissue-forming 



186 USES OF APPLE 

food than the potato. Bulk for bulk, the apple is slightly 
less nutritious than the potato, but its sugar and gum 
compare favorably with the starch of the potato as a 
heat producer; but of course the apple, on account of its 
acids, has many uses entirely unknown to the potato." 

"Have not a great many writers unduly extolled the 
healthfulness of the apple?" 

"Perhaps they have; it certainly will not correct all the 
abuses that may be inflicted upon the system. It is only 
an aid when there is proper consideration as to the kind 
and quality of food consumed, and the habits are other- 
wise good." 

"What are the various uses of the apple as an article of 
diet?" 

"Probably the first is, that the apple adds variety to the 
diet, for it can be cooked in so many ways, it can hardly 
fail to revive a failing appetite. Apples that are not very 
sour may be used with the cereals to give them flavor. 
By a little care in this way, many persons can be induced 
to eat cereals, who would not otherwise eat them at all, 
because they do not like them. Its other uses depend 
upon its acids." 

"Then apple cider must be good?" 

"Cider, being the juice of the apple, when fresh has 
about the same uses as the apple. Sweet cider has been 
known to benefit cases of aggravated constipation, when 
apparently nothing else would." 

"Why is this?" 

"Very likely the great quantity of water together with 
the acid exerted a stimulating effect on the bowels without 
undue irritation." 
, "Is not vinegar made of cider?" 

"Yes, but the less said about vinegar or the less used 
the better, although cider vinegar is very palatable, due 



PEACH 187 

to small particles of the apple which gives it its flavor." 

''What is the best way to prepare apples for food?" 

* Apples are best either baked or stewed, though they 
may be cooked in other ways for variety." 

"Are dried apples equally wholesome?" 

"Dried apples are better than none at all, but not so 
good as the fresh, owing to the fact that water is evapor- 
ated. Bulk for .bulk, dried apples are twice as rich as 
before drying." 

"Doctor, awhile ago you spoke of the peach as being 
a source of digestive disturbances; would you condemn it 
because of this?" 

"No, the peach is a very choice fruit, and probably 
more people like a good peach better than any other 
fruit." 

"Why are they so often the source of disease?" 

"Because they ripen in hot weather and will not keep. 
The peach should be eaten within a few hours after it is 
pulled, and if it is not, it may become tainted, and cause 
violent gastric disturbance or diarrhoea." 

"Is there no way of preventing this 

"No way except to get the people to understand that 
they must not eat stale fruit, but if they do it must be 
cooked, so that all bacteria may be destroyed and decay 
arrested." 

"Why not can or dry peaches?'' 

"That is a good way. They can be kept very well 
all the year. Good canned peaches are almost as good 
as fresh ones. What is known as pie peaches, containing 
green and solid lumps and more or less of the tough dirty 
skin of the peach, should not be used by anybody." 

"In what does the peach differ from the apple?" 

"It does not contain as much sugar, but as a rule more 
gum. The principal part of the peach, exclusive of water 



188 PEAR 

is known as pectose, which is a sort of gum and is found 
in all the pit or stone fruits/ ' 

"What kind of acid is found in the peach?" 
"Principally malic acid, the same as in the apple. Good 
peaches are almost as nutritious as apples, but much more 
care is needed in using them, because of the liability to 
either be green and tough, or over-ripe and tainted with 
decay. A choice peach not too green or too ripe, is one 
of the most delicious things with which nature has pro- 
vided man." 

"Doctor, a good many people prefer the pear to any 
other fruit." 

"That is doubtless because of its sweet taste; other- 
wise, it is not so rich as many of the other fruits." 
"How does it compare with the peach?" 
"Well, in a general way, it Has about the same amount 
of water (83$), but the pear has about twice as much sugar 
(8$), and half as much gum or pectose. The food value, 
although different in character, amounts to about the 
same as the peach. The pear has but little acid, and it 
may therefore be used with any kind of food, because 
there is not sufficient quantity of acid to even coagulate 
milk to any noticeable extent." 

"What would you consider the best way to use the 
pear?" 

"Aside from its use as a pleasant fruit, it makes the 
best preserves and jam of any of the fruits, or at least, it is 
highly prized for that purpose." 

"Some people declare the pear to be laxative, while 
others say it is astringent." 

"Some varieties are astringent, but the excessive 
amount of sugar in the pear sometimes causes an abnor- 
mal fermentation, and results in diarrhoea; then again, the 
pear is frequently tough and may cause disturbances on 



QUINCE GRAPE 189 

this account. The same care is needed in using pears on 
account of being either hard or tainted with decay, as that 
of peaches. Owing to their large amount of sugar they 
should not be eaten by any one subject to sour stomach." 

"The quince is the most solid of all the fruits, and un- 
less well cooked is not eatable at all. It contains a large 
amount of malic acid and a great amount of gum. 
When thoroughly cooked, many people prize it highly for 
its flavor. It is slightly astringent" 

"Is there any other use for it than as a stewed fruit?" 

"It makes a jelly of the finest quality." 

"Doctor, I suppose the grape is almost next to the 
apple?" 

"Probably considering its universal use, it certainly 
ranks high, and if not next to the apple, it ought to be 
considered at least one of the most valuable of all our 
fruits." 

"What nutriment is there in the grape?" 

"That depends much on the variety. Some grapes 
have much less water than others. A fair average prob- 
ably would be about 80# water, the principal other in- 
gredient, besides waste, being sugar. In addition to the 
sugar, the grape has considerable tartaric acid, and when 
we consider the seed and skin, it has a very large amount 
of waste matter, but with these out as they should be, 
the waste matter is small. The grape has not enough 
nitrogen in it to make this element worth mentioning, and 
like the fruits just discussed, it is strictly a heat-producing 
food. There is also considerable mineral matter, soda, 
potash, magnesia and iron, in addition to tartaric acid." 

"I have heard very well-informed peopfe say that grape 
juice contained very nearly the same elements as blood?" 

"When they said that, no matter who they were, they 



190 



GRAPE 



were talking rank nonsense, because the grape lacks a 
great deal of furnishing the necessary constitutents of the 
blood." 

"What uses has the grape ?" 

"It is a wholesome and pleasant fruit, if properly eaten." 

"How is that?" 

"The pulp should be dissolved and no one should swal- 
low either the seeds or the skin." 

"Has the grape any particular value in disease?" 

"Yes, it has great value, but this will be considered 
under the head of disease." 

"What about wine?" 

"Wine properly belongs with spirituous liquors." 

"Of what are raisins made?" 

"Raisms are dried grapes, also what are known as Eng- 
lish currants, are really only inferior raisins." 

"Are raisins healthful?" 

"They contain about the same properties as grapes, but 
owing to their toughness and their seeds, they should be 
cooked and thoroughly masticated, and any one who 
gives raisins to small children, does so at the risk of 
causing their death." 



CHAPTER XVIL 

FRUITS CONTINUED. 
PLUM. 

"The plum is a nice fruit, makes most delicious pre- 
serves and jam." 

"But Doctor, a good many people think plums very un- 
wholesome?" 

"Doubtless a good many disorders have been produced 
by the plum, because they are so often tough, acrid, and 
therefore unsuitable for food; but choice varieties of 
plums that have been ripened on the tree are both deli- 
cious and wholesome, provided of course, the tough skin 
is not swallowed." 

"How do they compare with other fruits?" 

"They are very similar to the peach, only as a rule they 
are more acid. They usually contain a little less sugar, 
and about the same amount of gum. The per cent, of 
acid in the plum is ordinarily about 1J and nearly double 
that of the peach. Some varieties of the plum are quite 
astringent." 

"Are not prunes some variety of plums that have been 
dried?" 

"Yes, the prune is really a plum, but a sweeter variety 
than the ordinary Damson or Green Gage plum." 

"What value has the prune as a food?" 

"The prune contains a large amount of sugar, and it is 
supposed to be very laxative, but it has been much over- 
rated in this respect. It has no properties to cause it to 
be more laxative than most other fruits, and careful ob- 
servation will show that it is not so in practice. Prunes 
should be very well stewed, as otherwise they are unfit 

191 



192 CHERRY APRICOT STRAWBERRY 

to eat. The removal of the tough skin by straining the 
pulp adds greatly to their food value." 

"Doctor, how does the cherry rank as a fruit?" 

"The cherry is a favorite of many people, but it ought 
not to rank very highly, because a large per cent of it is 
tough skin and water, and it is rather strong in acid." 

"Then you do not recommend the cherry very 
strongly?" 

"No, I do not. If the juice is fresh and used for mak- 
ing jelly, perhaps one could justly extol it, but it has a 
very thick skin, and a small amount of pulp, which leaves 
very little of the fruit suitable for use. Like other fruits, 
the sugar and acid vary much according to the variety, 
although it is very similar to that of the plum." 

"The apricot and the nectarine are very similar to the 
peach, but are not as rich. It does not need any ex- 
tended description, because it is so nearly like the peach." 

"Doctor, it rather seems as though you had slighted 
our berries?" 

"Well, the berries are in such great favor, especially the 
strawberry, that some enthusiasts have said that the 'Lord 
could have made a better berry than the strawberry, but 
he didn't.'" 

"What properties has the strawberry?" 

"It does not differ as much as one would suppose from 
other fruits. It contains some more acid than the aver- 
age apple, not quite so much sugar, and a good deal of 
waste material or cellulose. The nitrogenous or tissue- 
forming element of the strawberry is proportionately 
higher than most of the other fruits. Ordinarily, it is 
about eighty-eight per cent water." 

"Is there any injury likely to result from using straw- 
berries?" 

"Yes, many persons are injured by using stale straw- 



USES OF STRAWBERRIES 193 

berries. They do not keep but a short time, and like 
other fruits, when tainted they should be cooked, but the 
tendency is to merely add sufficient sugar to hide their 
decay." 

"Has the strawberry any action different from that of 
other fruits?" 

"Yes, it is more laxative, because of the stimulating 
effect the small seeds have on the intestines, and if straw- 
berries are used judiciously, they have very great value, 
as they come early in the season, at a time when their 
flavor and their acid is needed to clear the system for hot 
weather. Strawberries make very delicious jelly and jam. 
They should not be used with milk, because their acid 
coagulates the milk, causing it to form little hard lumps 
or clots. Strawberries are charged with being the cause 
of hives and skin eruptions, but only in people who have 
some peculiarity — probably an excess of uric acid in the 
system." 

"Doctor, you spoke of the acids coagulating milk; what 
kind of acid does the strawberry contain?" 

"The strawberry contains both malic and citric acid, 
also potash, lime and soda salts. It is therefore slightly 
diuretic as well as laxative." 

"Is the strawberry used in any other way, except as it 
is picked?" 

"Yes, it may be cooked, and used for flavoring other 
foods." 

"The raspberry is one of the most palatable of the sum- 
mer berries, but it is so much like the blackberry and blue- 
berry they may all be discussed together." 

"In what way are these different from other fruits?" 

"They differ in this; they contain more seeds, or at least 
larger ones, and less water, and instead of being laxative, 
as are most fruits, they are astringent, and wine made of 



194 ASTRINGENT BERRIES 

blackberries is one of the most common remedies for 
diarrhoea or summer complaint" 

"What properties have these berries as food?" 

. "Aside from their acid, and mineral salts, which are 
similar to those of the strawberry, they contain little, ex- 
cept sugar and their agreeable flavoring matter, common 
to various other fruits." 

"To what do you ascribe their astringency?" 

"Tannic acid, or something equivalent to it." 

"What other berries besides the raspberry, blackberry 
and dewberry are astringent?" 

"The elderberry and blueberry. The elderberry is not 
extensively used, although it makes an agreeable wine, 
and is made by many people for home use. The blue- 
berry 19 a berry of commerce, of which there are several 
varieties. It has an agreeable flavor, and is not very pro- 
nounced in its action, because it contains little but seeds, 
sugar and flavoring matter." 

"Cranberry, gooseberry, and currant, are all popular 
fruits. The cranberry is more extensively sold than any 
of the others." 

"Why is this?" 

"Because it matures late in the season, and is easily kept 
all winter." 

"What are its properties?" 

"Malic and citric acid in large amounts, a little flavor- 
ing, and an exceedingly tough skin." 

"Can you recommend its use?" 

"On account of the strong acid and skin of the cran- 
berry, it disagrees with most people. If used at all, it 
should be stewed and strained so that the tough skins 
come off. This would practically make a jelly of it. The 
acid is exceedingly acrid, somewhat astringent and of 
rather doubtful use. It is sometimes useful as a dis- 



GOOSEBERRY MULBERRY 195 

infectant for inflammations, and is usually applied as a 
poultice." 

"The gooseberry is much more favorably known in 
England than this country, as it requires a cool, moist 
climate for good fruit. It also has a tough skin and 
large 'seeds, and nothing? to recommend it except its 
flavor and the sugar its contains. When green, it is very 
sour, but when fully matured and ripe, it contains quite 
a large per cent of sugar, more in fact than most other 
fruits. The currant is another tough-skinned fruit with 
large seeds. It does not differ greatly from the goose- 
berry, except that it never has so high a per cent of 
sugar. None of these berries should be used with their 
skins, and they are therefore more suitable for making 
jams and jellies, than for any other purpose/' 

"The mulberry has never been so extensively grown as 
its flavor would certainly warrant. There are few berries 
as rich as the mulberry, and it ought to have been planted 
everywhere, instead of the cherry, although it does not 
produce so large a crop nor is it so sure to bear." 

"What are its properties?" 

"It is very rich in its flavoring matter, has a high per 
cent of sugar, and contains about one and a half per cent 
of tartaric acid, and is therefore more like the grape than 
any other berry. It also contains considerable potash." 

"Doctor, what is the leading fruit from the tropics?" 

"Well, it is difficult to say whether the banana or 
lemon" 

"For a food, which is best?" 

"The banana. It is the only green fruit extensively 
used in this country, upon which life can be sustained for 
any length of time." 

"Then, the composition will be interesting?" 

"Yes, the banana contains one per cent or two per cent 



196 BANANA 

of tissue-forming food, or about one-eighth that of entire 
wheat flour. It contains quite a large amount of gum 
and sugar, amounting in all to about fifteen per cent. 
The banana contains less water than most other fruits, 
being only about eighty per cent water, while most of 
the others range from eighty-two to ninety per cent, ex- 
cept those which are principally seed." 

"Do you consider the banana a wholesome food?" 

"It does not agree with most people." 

"Why is that?" 

"That is because it is pulled green, and ripened by an 
artificial process, so that when the banana is ripened for 
market, it is really ripened by a process of decay." 

"Then this is the reason why bananas are so likely to 
disagree?" 

"Yes, being partly decayed, and containing a consider- 
able amount of sugar, they are likely to continue to decay, 
or sour fermentation set in after they are eaten. It is no 
uncommon thing for bananas to produce nettle-rash, es- 
pecially in children." 

"Is there any way of overcoming* the difficulty?" 

"Only by allowing the banana to ripen where if grows, 
and make it into meal. This is another peculiarity of the 
banana; it is the only fruit that can be dried and ground 
into flour, and when this is done the banana makes a valu- 
able food." 

r T notice that its use has been mentioned in typhoid 
fevers?" 

"Yes, banana meal has been used with very good re- 
sults in many hospitals, both for typhoid fever and other 
cases, but it must not be concluded from this that an 
ordinary tough banana can be used, because it would 
likely disagree with a well person, and be very dangerous 
to the sick." 



BANANA LEMON 197 

"Then you rather discourage the use of bananas?" 

"Yes, until there is some way of getting the fruit to us 
in a better condition. It is truly a fine fruit and the time 
will soon come when its use will be such as to warrant 
some more satisfactory way of bringing it to the people." 

*'I suppose, Doctor, that you consider the lemon more 
of a medicine than a fruit?" 

"The lemon has long been used for its flavor, and in a 
medicinal way, but modern chemistry so perfectly coun- 
terfeits all flavors that the use of fruits for such purposes 
is almost discontinued, so that the lemon must hold its 
place for its valuable acids." 

"What are these?" 

"Citric and malic acids. A lemon does not contain any 
properties that could really be called a food, and its use 
is really only that of a cleanser. It is especially valuable 
to cleanse the stomach cf mucus, when its jiTice is used 
with hot water an hour before meals. No sugar should 
be used. As a toilet article for the skin, hair, and mouth, 
it has no equal, for its juice cleanses the skin of an excess 
of fat, and should be used to take away the "shine" on the 
face, the ladies so much dread, instead of face powders. 
It will also remove blackheads, due to impaired circula- 
tion of the skin, and is truly nature's beautifier. The juice 
of the lemon when used without soap is an invaluable hair 
wash to remove dandruff and oil, and will also cleanse and 
sweeten the mouth, when there is a bad, or 'dark brown' 
taste. For washing the hair, the juice of a fresh ripe 
lemon should be squeezed into a pint and a half or two 
pints of lukewarm water, and thoroughly rubbed into the 
scalp, then dried with a rough towel." 

"Has the orange the same uses?" 

"No, it is more of a food, because the orange contains 
a little gum and some sugar." 



198 ORANGE PINE APPLES 

"What acid does the orange contain?" 

"Mostly citric and malic acid, and citrate of lime." 

"Then the orange has uses unknown to the lemon?" 

"Yes, oranges are often valuable for invalids when 
lemons could hardly be used at all." 

"The tamarind has a high per cent of citric acid, also 
contains some tartaric acid, and a trace of malic acid. It 
is rich also in potash, and contains as high as 12$ of 
sugar. It is not extensively used, and does not there- 
fore deserve much consideration." 

"The pineapple is one of the most delicious of all 
tropical fruits. It contains all of the fruit acids and 
some other substance very similar to papain, which is a 
digestive agent for all kinds of food. There is probably 
no other fruit generally known that has the same property 
for digesting other foods as that of the pineapple." 

"Then it is a good thing to eat?" 

"That is very questionable. The pineapple contains 
an extraordinary amount of tough fiber, which is exceed- 
ingly difficult to digest. 

"Then how should it be used?" 

"Well, the juice should be obtained in some way from 
the pineapple without the tough fibre, macerated in 
water and expressed by compression. It is now pre- 
scribed to considerable extent in certain diseases of the 
stomach. Zumo-Anana is a pineapple wine, beneficial 
when there is insufficient secretion of digestive juices, but 
contra-indicated where there is excessive secretioa 

"The lime is probably the sourest fruit known. Citric 
acid is manufactured from it. Also, lime juice. It is 
very similar to the lemon. Citric acid is often used as a 
substitute for lemons. 

"The grape fruit is a large fruit, much larger than 
either orange or the lemon. It contains similar proper- 



LIME DATES FIGS 199 

ties to the lime and lemon with some bitter matter. It is 
not extensively used, but makes a cool and refreshing 
drink, and a few people like the fruit." 

"Are there no important fruits, other than what you 
have discussed?' 

"Yes, dates and figs. The dried dates and figs of com- 
merce are the richest of all the fruits." 

"What is the average composition of them?" 

'They contain more than two-thirds solid matter, about 
four per cent of flesh-forming substances; and nearly fifty 
per cent sugar, considerable waste material, and mineral 
matter. The date contains very nearly the same properties 
as the fig, with the addition of pectose or gum. These 
fruits dried contain nearly the same proportion of heat- 
producing and tissue-forming substances as rice, and will 
therefore support life for a considerable length of time." 

"Are they used extensively as food?" 

"Not so extensively as they should be, for figs are quite 
laxative, which is due, partly, to the seeds, and partly to 
the fact that figs, especially green figs, have a digestive 
agent similar to that of a pineapple, only less pronounced. 
They are used more by vegetarians than others, and de- 
serve a favorable place in our dietaries, but should always 
be cooked." 

"OTives are only used for two purposes in this country; 
that is, we use the oil made from the olive and the green 
olive for pickles. The oil is valuable, but the pickles are 
tough, and have no use as food. Large doses of olive 
oil have been recommended for the removal of gall 
stones." 

"Citrons have no other use except for flavoring, but 
not many people like them for that purpose. They are 
tough and well-nigh insoluble, and should not be eaten for 
food." 



200 CITRON PRESERVING FRUITS 

"Doctor, I believe it would be good for you to suggest- 
something about preserving fruits." 

"Fruits are usually kept either by being dried or canned. 
Drying is an easy process with proper appliances. Sun- 
dried fruits are better than no fruit at all ; but any slow 
process of drying where the fruit is exposed to the atmos- 
phere, furnishes the best opportunity for all kinds of in- 
sects and bacteria to secure a lodging place, so that sun- 
drying, or any slow process of drying, should be avoided 
as far as possible. Fruits that are quickly dried in 
closed ovens are very much better, and if packed at once 
and kept from exposure they will be much less likely 
to be infested with insects, and in every way superior to 
sun-dried fruit." 

"How should fruit be prepared for both canning and 
drying?" 

"The peel, core and all damaged places should be re- 
moved. It is a very bad practice to either dry or can 
fruit with the skins, for they cannot afterwards be re- 
moved, and the skin is particularly objectionable in dried 
fruit, and any other kind, unless thoroughly cleansed be- 
fore being canned." 

"Why is it that so many people do not succeed in prop- 
erly preserving canned fruit?" 

"Because it is not properly canned." 

"What is wrong with the ordinary method?" 

"The principle of canning fuit merely involves the de- 
struction of bacteria, and then closing the cans so that 
neither they nor air can enter it." 

"How should this be done?" 

"It is best to cook the fruits in the cans, so that no 
bacteria can enter in filling them. If this cannot be 
done, the cans should be set in hot water alter they are 
filled. Probably where more failures are made than any- 



CANNING FRUITS 201 

where else, is with the lids. It is not only necessary to 
have the cans thoroughly sterilized by being boiled in 
water, but the lids must also be sterilized. If fruit can- 
not be cooked in the cans, the lids should be sterilized 
and put on the cans with a small vent for escaping steam. 
If they are then immediately sealed, so that they are 
air-tight, there will be no trouble in properly preserving 
them. It must be borne in mind that nothing should 
touch spoons, lids or anything that comes in contact with 
the fruit after being sterilized in boiling water." 
"What do you mean by sterile or sterilizing?" 

"Anything is said to be sterile when it has been sub- 
jected to a degree of heat sufficient to kill all kinds of 
bacteria." 

"How much heat is ordinarily required?" 

"There are very few microbes of any kind but what are 
killed after being subjected to boiling water for, say, fif- 
teen minutes. A high degree of heat, if it be moist, such 
as steam, answers the same purpose, or better. The whole 
theory of preserving canned goods rests upon the destruc- 
tion of bacteria and the elimination of air; and as the mi- 
crobes cling to every known substance, it is necessary 
to have the hands perfectly clean and all the instruments 
or vessels sterilized in which the fruit is handled, as al- 
ready suggested. It is best to cook the fruit in the cans 
with the lids on. This can be done by filling the cans 
and setting them in a kettle of boiling water, so that the 
cans are almost entirely covered. This prevents the en- 
trance of bacteria from handling, and sterilizes the fruit 
in the jar." 

"Which do you consider the most important of the 
nuts that are used in this country?" 

"The peanut. The consumption of peanuts has grown 



202 PEANUTS 

to be enormous, and is destined to be many times greater 
than it is." 

"Why do you say that?" 

"Because the peanut is a palatable and rich food, and 
it supplies most of the necessary elements to sustain 
life." 

"What properties has the peanut?" 

"The largest ingredient of the peanut is its oil, amount- 
ing to about fifty per cent. It has, in addition, consid- 
erable gum, the equivalent of starch. The mineral mat- 
ter amounts to nearly two per cent, and about four per 
cent waste material." 

"What about the tissue-forming substance?" 

"Xhe nitrogenous part of the peanut is high, amount- 
ing to twenty-four per cent or more." 

"But, Doctor, it is said to be a great source of dyspep- 
sia." 

"It is at least fair to say that it is very difficult to di- 
gest." 

"Why is this?" 

"Because it is really a concentrated food; practically, it 
has no water, and consequently it is exceedingly solid. 
It naturally follows that the digestive juices will not pen- 
etrate the particles very quickly. Very few persons will 
masticate the peanut to finer particles than cracked wheat." 

"How can this difficulty be overcome?" 

"Only by grinding. Extraordinary care in masticat- 
ing peanuts by keeping them in the mouth as long as 
possible, overcomes part of their objectionable texture." 

"Why do you think the peanut has a great future?" 

"Because nearly everybody likes it, and it supplies 
nearly everything necessary to live on, and is compara- 
tively cheap. It is only a question of time until it is bet- 
ter prepared and furnished to us so that it can be used 



VARIOUS NUTS 203 

with other foods; for it seems admirably adapted to fur- 
nish both the necessary oil and flavor for the cereals, 
which are deficient in both." 

"What about other nuts?" 

"All nuts contain a large per cent of oil. The chest- 
nut is the only one that contains a great amount of 
starch; probably the hickory nut is really the most palata- 
ble of all, and is rich in oil." 

"Are not pecans good?" 

"The pecan has a bitter shell which makes it disagree- 
able, If any particle be left in contact with it. It does not 
vary greatly in composition from the hickory nut. The 
only nut having special use is the almond." 

"What special use has it?" 

"As it does not contain any starch, has an agreeable 
flavor, and is quite a rich food, both in tissue-forming 
and heat-producing substance, it is very valuable in 
Bright's disease. It is exceedingly tough and solid, but 
probably not so much so as filberts and hazelnuts. These 
are also rich nuts, but need grinding more than any of 
the others, and unless they are ground, they are exceed- 
ingly indigestible." 

"Among nuts, what prominence would you give wal- 
nuts?" 

"The black walnut is rather a strong-flavored and very 
oily nut. The white walnut, or butternut, is still stronger 
in its flavor, but not so rich in oil. The English walnut, 
so-called, which is principally grown for market, is a 
rich, oily nut. It is not so firm as many of the other nuts, 
and has some advantages over them. Probably the most 
oily of all nuts is the Brazil nut. They are also quite 
firm, but almost pure oil." 

"Are there no other nuts that you think worthy of no- 
tice?" 



204 COCOANUT NUT FOODS 

"None, unless we except the cocoanut, which is becom- 
ing quite an article of commerce, especially its oil. It is 
now used extensively for making soap, and other pur- 
poses." 

"Do you consider the cocoanut a good article of food?" 

"I do not It is one of the toughest and most indi- 
gestible of all articles used for food; even shredded co- 
coanut is extremely difficult to digest, and the only way 
that it can be ever used successfully as a food, is to pro- 
vide some way of pulverizing it to make it as fine as 
flour, or nearly so, which would not only make it digesti- 
ble, but more palatable, as well." 

"Then, Doctor, you are quite a friend to nuts, pro- 
vided they can be used properly; but your declaration 
that they are wholesome don't agree with common expe- 
rience." 

"Well, if the people would undertake to live on any of 
the cereals without their being ground or cooked, the re- 
sults would be worse than the ill effects commonly at- 
tributed to nuts. The Sanitas Food Co., of Battle Creek, 
Mich., are making nut foods that are as much easier di- 
gested, compared with raw nuts, as Granose or Granola, 
compared with unground and uncooked wheat. Nuts 
have long been known as rich food, but owing to their 
solid texture, and the natural inclination to swallow them 
in uncrushed particles, they have, for many people, been 
considered rather indigestible. The Sanitas Food Co. 
have overcome this difficulty and given the world the 
most delicious and fattening foods ever manufactured. 
They answer every purpose of meat, and greatly strength- 
en the cause of vegetarianism." 

"Doctor, if you connect anything with vegetarianism 
it will prejudice it in the estimation of some people." 

"That ought not to be so. Much of the prejudice 



NUT FOODS 205 

against vegetarianism is clue to tEe fact that most vege- 
tables do not supply either enough fat or tissue-food. 
These defects are supplied by using the entire grain of 
such cereals as wheat in connection with nuts, as they are 
rich, both in fat and tissue-forming elements." 
"Then nut fats are superior to animal fats?" 
"Yes. Heretofore cream has held first place among 
common fats, but the nut-cream and nut-butter, made by 
Sanitas Food Co., are superior to either cream, butter 
or animal fats." 

"In what particular?" 

"All animals are subject to disease — cows especially 
to tuberculosis — besides, cows are frequently kept in foul 
places, milked by soiled hands, and the milk kept in un- 
sanitary places and in vessels washed in water containing 
typhoid or other bacteria. These dangers are avoided 
in the nut foods; but there are still stronger reasons for 
their use. The particles of fat are so minutely subdivided 
or emulsified, that they are readily taken up in the sys- 
tem. The animal fats will not sustain life, as they con- 
tain practically nothing but heat-producing elements. The 
nut foods will sustain life and more quickly fatten than 
anything yet discovered. Nut butter and almond butter 
are the most delicious and appetizing fats ever produced, 
and they will very likely displace cod liver oil as a fat- 
producing food for consumptives." 

"Why not combine nuts with grain foods?" 
"The Sanitas Food Co. has done so with great success. 
Long ago I was impressed with the belief that emulsified 
nuts could be combined with dextrinized or pre-digested 
starch so as to make the richest and best food for fatten- 
ing yet discovered. The Sanitas Food Co. has made 
such a food and named it Bromose. As a fat-producer 
and food-tonic, Bromose has produced most remarkable 



206 NUT FOODS 

results. Nuttose is another similar food, and might aptly 
be called vegetable meat. Granose and Bromose used 
together have restored many invalids to vigorous health. 
Knowledge of these foods are of so much benefit that I 
have spoken of them at some length." 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

CONDIMENTS AND DRINKS. 

"Doctor, what do you mean by condiments ?" 

"Well, the word has a general and well-understood 

meaning, but, for my use, I would explain it by saying 

that it should be pronounced by emphasizing the second 

syllable and sounding the T long, making it con-die- 

ments." 

'Then how would you define it?" 

"1 would say that it is the thing we eat with our feed 
which beguiles us to death." 

"That is a hot criticism, Doctor." 

"But it is a hot subject." 

"You mean by that, that condiments burn?" 

"Yes; take pepper; it irritates and burns the membranes 
very much like fire." 

"But the doctors say it aids digestion." 

"So it would warm your hand to put it in the fire." 

"But that would destroy the hand." 

"So the pepper has a tendency to destroy the digestive 
organs." 

"If that be true, how can it aid digestion?" 

"Anything that irritates the mucous membranes of the 
stomach increases the gastric secretion, and this is what 
pepper does; but in doing this, it inflames the stomach, 
causes excessive secretion of acid, and an uncertain num- 
ber of stomach disorders." 

"Is that why so many people want to drink ice water 
at meal times?" 

"It is one of the reasons. If a mouthful of pepper be 
swallowed, the first impulse is to drink some cold water 

207 



208 PEPPER SALT 

as quickly as possible to relieve the burning sensation. 

"When the stomach is habitually irritated with pepper, 
mustard, alcoholic liquors, horse radish, or indigestible 
food, cold drinks give a feeling of relief, but really only 
aggravate the irritation?" 

"Then pepper is injurious?" 

"It is most injurious, and should have no place in our 
dietaries, and should only be used as a drug." 

"Is pepper worse than other condiments ?" 

"Probably not; mustard, sage leaves and horse radish 
are all bad, the two latter being worse, if anything, than 
pepper." 

"How about salt?" 

"Salt is much railed at by a certain class of hygienists, 
but is strongly defended by others." 

"Which side is right?" 

"If we are allowed to make comparison with the lower 
animals, it would seem that carniverous (flesh-eating ani- 
mals) care nothing for salt, while herbivorous (grass-eat- 
ing animals) in all countries are intensely fond of salt." 

"That would indicate that man, living largely on the 
vegetable foods, would require some salt?" 

"Yes; but not more than a quarter, and probably not 
more than one-tenth of what most people consume. Ex- 
cessive salt eating is a bad habit, but not so bad as the 
use of pepper. It has been demonstrated that salt retards 
digestion, causes skin eruptions and other derangements 
of the system; and, while salt is useful, most persons 
would be benefited if they would cut down their salt eat- 
ing to one-fourth of what they are in the habit of using." 

"Does vinegar belong to the same class?" 

"Vinegar is bad, but not wholly so; for it has some 

uses." 



SPICES 209 

"Haven't you already said that vinegar must be dis- 
carded?" 

"Yes; its uses are for the most part injurious, but still 
it has some use, when belter acids are not obtainable." 

"Then why abandon it?" 

"The abundance of fruits we have furnish us acids so 
much superior to that of vinegar, the question of contin- 
uing the use of vinegar ought not to be considered at all, 
when fruits can be obtained." 

"Then you would use sour fruit on salads, instead of 
vinegar?" 

"Yes, or else not eat the salads at all." 
, "Why is vinegar so objectionable?" 

"Because it Is a ferment filled with vinegar worms, 
which can be seen with the naked eye. If you will get 
some vinegar plant and examine it, you will not care for 
the vinegar afterwards." 

"What fruits would you recommend instead of vinegar?" 

"Limes, lemons, grape fruit, sour oranges, sour grapes, 
sour berries or even rhubarb." 

"How about spices?" 

"Some of the spices are not objectionable." 

"Which would you give first place?" 

"I would give the first place to nutmeg." 

"Why so?" 

"Because it has an agreeable flavor, is mostly oil, and 
is not particularly objectionable in any way." 

"You favor nutmeg, but condemn other spices?" 

"All-spice is not very injurious, but its flavor is not 
pleasant. Few people care for all-spice as a flavor, but 
almost everybody likes cinnamon." 

"Then you would strongly recommend cinnamon?" 

"Well, I would not recommend cinnamon or pepper- 
mint for uses in food except as a medicine." 

"Why so?" 



210 VINEGAR SPICES 

"Because both cinnamon and peppermint kill bacteria 
to a certain extent, and are known as antiseptics. They 
would both have a. tendency to arrest the processes of di- 
gestion. They also have a tendency to arrest processes 
of decay, and both are useful to relieve a sour stomach. 
Owing to this fact, they are not desirable to mix with 
food for general use, but are valuable for special uses, 
where their antiseptic properties are needed." 

"How would you class cloves, caraway seed, ginger, 
etc.?" 

"Cloves are very astringent, but the small quantity used 
is not likely to do harm. Caraway seeds cause nausea in 
many people, which shows that they are irritating in their 
nature, and should not be used at all. Ginger is a very 
pleasant stimulating condiment. It is quite useful, too, 
when such stimulants are needed, but it is not desirable 
for habitual use." 

"Doctor, you are much against the ordinary spices 
used by the cooks, what about tomato catsup, pickles, 
etc.?" 

"As to tomato catsup, if it does not contain irritating 
substances other than the tomato, its use is not particu- 
larly objectionable, except where acids are harmful; but 
as to pickled cucumbers, onions, cabbage and olives, they 
are all tough, and if one cares to be free from aches and 
pains, he should let all of them alone." 

"You have not mentioned olive oil, Doctor?" 

"There is no objection to olive oil, and it may, at times, 
be very useful, where such food is needed." 

"Are these all the spices or condiments in general use?" 

"All the important ones, although anise, fennel, pars- 
ley, sorrel, are used to some extent, but not enough to 
be of any particular injury or benefit either." 



USE AND ABUSE OF SPICES. 211 

Then you don't advise the use of flavoring or spices 

at all?" 

"There is one general objection to all of them, and that 
is this: tfiey have a tendency to stimulate the appetite 
and cause one to eat too much, and as over-eating is a 
practice well-nigh universal and injurious, the things that 
favor it should not be encouraged." 

"Do I understand from this that you would not use fla- 
vorings at all?" 

"I did not mean that, but they should be used to make 
those foods we do not like, but ought to eat, more palata- 
ble." 

"Give us an illustration." 

"A great many people suffer from uric acid headaches, 
the result of meat diet and constipation. Now, such per- 
sons may not care for cereals or coarse vegetables, and 
would, therefore, not eat them, to any considerable ex- 
tent, because they do not like them. The proper use, 
then, for flavors, is to take the foods that such a person 
ought to eat, and flavor them so they would be agreeable. 
This would make the coarse cereals palatable, and if sub- 
stituted for their meat diet, their headaches would disap- 
pear, and their health be entirely restored." 

"Doctor, suppose we go and take something?" 

"All right; I will drink a glass of mineral water and 
then discuss drinks." 

"Doctor, since you do not drink anything very stimu- 
lating, you probably have something caustic to say about 
liquor drinking?" 

"I don't propose to commence on alcoholic liquors, but 
on the drinks that pave the way for them." 

"That is a new idea. You don't mean to say that other 
drinks cause an appetite for liquor, do you?" 



212 INCREASE OF NERVOUSNESS 

"Such a thing as an appetite for liquor, strictly speak- 
ing, does not often exist." 

"What, then, is it?" 

"It is a mental condition which makes the individual 
crave stimulants." 

"Then it is a craving for the effects and not the taste?" 

"That is it. A well person is free from nervousness, 
and does not want any stimulants." 

"Then our habits affect the nervous system?" 

"Yes; nervousness apparently increases with each gen- 
eration. It is often attributed to worry, but the real 
cause is the habits of the people, and a large share of it 
is due to their drinking habits." 

"Then nervousness does not result merely from worry 
or overwork, as many people suppose?" 

"No; people are mainly worried because they are ner- 
vous. If we were not nervous, the ordinary cares of life 
would not cause us to worry." 

"Doctor, I am very anxious to know what you are go- 
ing to charge this to?" 

"To no one thing; but I wish to show the relation of 
other causes to nervousness." 

"Since you have already spoken of water, I suppose you 
will charge tea and coffee with a good deal?" 

"Yes, coffee in this country, and tea in other countries." 

"I thought the general opinion was that coffee was not 
injurious?" 

"General opinion is about as safe to guide us as it 
would be to have a mule put in a pilot house to steer a 
ship across the ocean. As an illustration, tnere are num- 
bers of people who are sick every week, or at least every 
month, and are foolish enough to say that nothing they 
eat or do, hurts them; and it has often struck me that it 
would be just as reasonable to say of a man who is hung 



STIMULANTS, THEIR EFFECTS 213 

till he is dead, that the hanging didn't injure him, but that 
he merely died because he stopped breathing." 

"Why do you say such things?" 

"To get people to understand that when they are 
knocked over, something struck them." 

"What bearing has this on coffee?" 

"That effects have causes." 

"How can you prove that coffee has any bad effects?" 

"By drinking it or watching others." 

"That doesn't throw any light on the subject." 

"Well, coffee is a stimulant, and the heart has only a 
limited capacity. When it is stimulated beyond that, it 
must be correspondingly weak, just as it was stimulated 
to increased activity by the coffee. Suppose we illustrate it 
in this way: We will take two tanks of water and con- 
nect them with a pipe. Now, if each tank be two-thirds 
full, the pressure will be equal; but if the water be pumped 
from one to the other, the one will have its pressure in- 
creased just to the extent that the water is taken from the 
other, and the one from which the water is taken will 
have its pressure decreased." 

"Now are you sure that the effects of coffee are simi- 
lar?" 

"It is very much like it; people who drink two or three 
cups of strong coffee could hardly get along without it. 
If they do not have it, they will have the headache and be 
irritable, or, in other words, there is relaxation, a weak- 
ness of circulation and the machinery of the system re- 
fuses to run properly until it is again brought under the 
influence of a new supply of coffee." 

i "Well, I suppose I have seen hundreds of people of that 
kind, but I never thought it was serious." 

"Yes, it is; if coffee is necessary to keep any one go- 



214 COFFEE 

ing, so to speak, such person might properly be called 
a coffee inebriate." 

"Well, how does that pave the way for liquor?" 

"In this way: People who are affected by the use of 
coffee become nervous to an extent that is chronic, and 
the condition of the nervous system of the parents is 
likely to be transmitted to their children." 

"Then it is not so much of an appetite as it is a nervous 
condition?" 

"No; liquor drinkers, or at least very few of them, will 
admit that they drink liquor because they like it. It is 
purely an abnormal craving for some kind of stimulant. 
They don't feel right without it." 

"Then why don't everybody take to the use of strong 
drinks?" 

"A very large per cent, do, but it must be remembered 
that not every one uses stimulants to make a serious 
nervous condition. Besides this, nature constantly at- 
tempts to correct her own defects, and if it were not for 
the fact that each generation keeps imposing upon na- 
ture, we would soon be an ideal race." 

"Has coffee no uses?" 

"Yes, coffee is useful as a drug, is very pleasant to the 
taste, and if water and milk are merely flavored with cof- 
fee, and it is used as a flavor more than something to 
tone up the nervous system, it is not seriously harmful, 
and may be, at times, very useful. It may not injure every 
one, but the habit of drinking two or three cups of cof' 
fee (strong coffee at that) is most pernicious, and not only 
does serious harm, but is very likely to do harm to un- 
born generations, as well as to lead to the use of stronger 
stimulants." 

"Are there any other ill effects from coffee?" 



COFFEE INEBRIETY 215 

"A considerable quantity of strong coffee retards di- 
gestion and does injury in that way." 

"What property is it in coffee that affects the nervous 
system?" 

"The name given it is caffeine. It contains some other 
properties, but it is the caffeine that gives it its stimulat- 
ing effects. The practice of giving coffee to children 
cannot be too strongly condemned." 

"What are the symptoms of coffee inebriety?" 

"Nervous tremor, languor, prostration, sleeplessness, 
craving, with headaches when it is not supplied in suffi- 
cient strength or amount." 

"If coffee be used at all, how should itbe made?" 
' "Coffee is the least harmful when the smallest amount 
of its active properties are extracted. The longer it is 
steeped in water and the more it is boiled, the more in- 
jurious it is. It should not be strong, and should never 
be permitted to boil; nor should it be permitted to stand 
for great length of time, but the hot water should be 
poured on and left only for a few minutes, to merely ex- 
tract the aroma of the coffee." 

"Doctor, how does tea compare with coffee?" 

"It is very similar to coffee, and there is much discus- 
sion as to which is the more wholesome or harmful." 

"What is your opinion?" 

"Tea, in my opinion, is still worse than coffee. It is 
perhaps not quite so much of a stimulant, but contains 
a high per cent, of tannic acid. This makes tea an as- 
tringent and a great source of constipation. It therefore 
deranges the system, causes nervousness, insomnia, and 
Has more serious effect on the digestive organs than 
coffee." . 

"In what way does it affect digestion?" 

"Well, it affects digestion directly, because of the fact 



216 WHEN SPECIALLY INJURIOUS 

that the tannic acid of tea precipitates albumen in the 
foods. This may be better understood by saying that 
if tannic acid be applied to the white of an egg, which is 
albumen, it will make a tough substance of it quite like 
leather. It is, in fact, this process of applying tannic 
acids to skins that makes leather." 

"Is that the reason why, that when egg is used to clarify 
coffee it forms in lumps?" 

"Yes; that is the same principle. It clarifies the coffee 
by being coagulated and gathering the coffee grounds 
as it settles, and when egg is used to clarify coffee or 
any other drink it should be strained." 

"Doctor, you say tea and coffee are both bad. They 
are certainly not worse than tobacco?" 

"No; they are not worse than tobacco; but tobacco does 
not belong to foods, and we cannot discuss it now." 

"Is there any other objection to tea and coffee?" 

"Yes; both tea and coffee are especially injurious to 
persons who have what the physicians call the arthritic 
tendency." 

"What do you mean by that?" 

"A large number of diseases result because the system 
does not perfectly clear itself of nitrogenous matter. These 
various ailments are styled uric acid diseases." 

"What are some of them?" 

"Probably the most universal one is sick headache. 
Periodical sick headaches are almost certain to be the re- 
sult of uric acid in the blood." 

"Then tea and coffee add to the uric acid in the sys- 
tem?" 

"Yes; people who have sick headache, asthma, bron- 
chitis, rheumatism, gout, epilepsy, and diseases of the 
stomach generally, should drink neither tea nor coffee." 

"Has tea any particular use?" 



COCOA 217 

"It is sometimes used because of its astringent proper- 
ties in diarrhoea, or summer complaint, and is really more 
of a medicine than food." 

"Doctor, from what you say, I conclude that the abuse 
of tea and coffee is almost as far-reaching in its effects as 
that of alcoholic liquors?" 

"You are right; and it is really a pitiable sight to see 
people who are trying to save the world from its vices 
adopt such habits that they transmit such traits and char- 
acteristics to their own children, that the very evils they 
seek to remedy are fostered by their own offspring." 

"Cocoa is a preparation made from the bean or seeds 
of the cacao tree." 

"What is its composition?" 

"It contains a very large per cent, of oil, theobromine, 
which is very similar to the caffeine in coffee, and theine 
in tea. The cocoa also contains a little albumen, starch, 
fiber and mineral matter." 

"Where does cocoa come from?" 

"Principally from the West Indies, Brazil and the north- 
ern countries of South America." 

"How is cocoa prepared?" 

"The seeds grow in a pod and are removed, dried, fer- 
mented and then ground. Each manufacturer of cocoa, 
of course, having peculiar ways of preparing his product." 

"How are the ordinary preparations made?" 

"After the seeds have been treated as described, they 
are made into a paste, to which starch and sugar is added." 

"Do you consider it a good drink?" 

"It is less injurious than tea or coffee, and owing to 
the amount of oil it contains, it is much richer than either 
of those. People who do not tolerate fats or oils, should 
not drink cocoa. It is slightly stimulating, and contains 
some insoluble matter. Some people do not like cocoa, 



218 CHOCOLATE CEREAL COFFEE 

because it presents an unsightly appearance, on account 
of a scum of oil appearing on top of the cup. If this is 
not relished, it may be skimmed off, either with bread or 
in some other way. Cocoa butter is said to be a very 
agreeable and useful oil/' 

"For what purpose?" 

"Many people prefer cocoa butter to any other fat or 
oil for table use. It melts at a very low temperature, and 
is very easily dissolved. It is also used to a very consid- 
erable extent for the administration of drugs in capsules 
or suppositories, and for anointing the skin in eruptive 
fevers; also useful as inunction while massaging." 

"Chocolate is made from the same material as cocoa, 
but is deprived of part of the oil (it is supposed that 
chocolate contains some of the husks, as well as the 
seeds). It is not quite so rich, ordinarily, as cocoa, and 
some people prefer it. Chocolate is also used extensively 
in confectionery. It might very well be used to flavor 
foods to make them more palatable. It is also a nutri- 
tious food when taken alone." 

"Doctor, you don't seem to favor chocolate for general 
use; you say that tea and coffee are both very harmful, 
and that many who use them are really tea and coffee 
inebriates; now, recognizing the universal desire for 
some drink, what can they drink that will not harm them?" 

"Cereal coffee. The Sanitarium Food Co. make what 
they call Caramel Cereal. It is a pleasant and harmless 
drink, and will greatly benefit the nervous, anaemic and 
dyspeptic. It has no particular food value, and its manu- 
facturers claim none. The benefits of any cereal coffee 
are purely negative, and in that lies their value; they do 
not poison; coffee does. Claims for great nourishment 
from cereal coffees cannot be sustained." 

"Doctor, you stated awhile ago that tea and coffee were 



ALCOHOL 219 

abused to such an extent that their effects were almost as 
far-reaching as alochol." 

"Yes; but I did not mean by that that the effects were 
as violent." 

"What is ordinarily understood by the term alcohol ?" 

"Used in a general way, alcohol includes all alcoholic 
liquors, such as whisky, beer, wine, ale, gin, as well as 
chemically pure alcohol." 

"Is there not much disagreement as to the value of al- 
cohol when moderately used, as to whether it is really 
a food or not?"'' 

"It has been demonstrated that the system will absorb 
a small amount of alcohol because it is not exnaled in the 
breath and cannot be found in the excretions. It is, there- 
fore, fair to conclude that it is burned up in the system, 
just the same as fats and starches are." 

"Then it would seem from this, Doctor, that if a small 
amount of alcohol is absorbed as food, it would not be 
injurious?" 

"But you forget that I have already explained that a 
healthy person has no need for stimulants, but that they 
are an injury instead of a benefit. This is especially true 
of alcohol." 

"Why is it more true of alcohol than any other stimu- 
lant?" ' 

"Because it causes the tissues of the body to be changed, 
although it is claimed that some persons can use a small 
amount of alcohol without any discoverable change in 
the tissues of the system." 

"Then, if that be true, it must explain the constant ten- 
dency of those who use alcohol to increase the quantity?" 

"Yes; the stimulating effect is what is always sought, 
and as the change takes place in the tissues, it takes more 



220 EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL 

and more to have the same effect that the small amount 
originally had." 

"If this be true, it is a dangerous thing to use, purely 
upon physiological grounds?" 

"Yes, it is dangerous to make a practice of using any 
kind of alcoholic liquors, for the reasons explained." 

"What is the character of the changes usually made by 
the continued use of alcoholic liquors?" 

"It changes the texture of the liver, blood vessels, 
kidneys and the digestive organs generally. It makes 
the individual much more susceptible to infectious dis- 
eases, especially typhoid fever and pneumonia." 

"Are there any other ill effects resulting from the use 
of alcoholic liquors?" 

"Yes; all those cases described under arthritic tenden- 
cies resulting from uric acid in the blood, are unfavorably 
affected by all alcoholic liquors, or, more especially, malt 
liquors, that contain acids, as nearly all the malt liquors 
and wines do, so that persons having sick headache, rheu- 
matism or kindred ailments, must not use liquors at all." 

"Doctor, doesn't the use of alcohol lessen the desire 
for food?" 

"Yes, if a certain amount of alcoholic liquors is used 
up by the system, it corresponds or equals a considerable 
amount of heat-producing food; and as it contains no 
waste material, it would naturally have a tendency to pro- 
duce constipation, which is a well-known fact." 

"Are these all the objections to the use of alcohol?" 

"Not all of them. There is still another. That is, that 
alcoholic liquors lower the temperature of the system." 

"I thought it produced heat and people drink liquor 
in the winter time to warm them?" 

"In cold climates they know better. No alcoholic 



USES OF ALCOHOL 221 

liquors dare be permitted in a northern lumber camp." 

"But it makes a person feel warm." 

"That is true. It brings the blood to the surface, and 
for that reason assists in the radiation of heat; or, in 
other words, it causes the blood to flow out in increased 
quantities, so that it can cool faster, and it has been dem- 
onstrated, hundreds of times, that one can stand much 
more cold without the use of liquor than with it." 

"Then, if that be true, the use of liquor ought to re- 
duce fevers." 

"It is often given for that purpose with good results." 

"Then, from your point of view, alcohol is a medicine, 
and has no place as a food?" 

That is true; the habit of using liquors for the purpose 
of making one feel better results in untold harm. People 
ought to learn how to live so that they do not need liquor 
or coffee or any other stimulant to give them energy suffi- 
cient for their work." 

"What is the principal effect of alcohol as a medicine?" 

"It stimulates the nerves, the action of the heart, and 
increases the circulation. It is sometimes useful in dis- 
eases of the stomach as a stimulant and to prevent decay, 
but should never be used except by the advice of a com- 
petent physician." 

"Then, according to your view, alcohol does not give 
increased strength, as many people suppose?" 

"No ; it merely acts as a spur or as a whip would on a 
tired horse, and only draws on reserve force; and the 
more that is drawn on, the sooner it results in total inca- 
pacity for work. 

"Probably the most important of all the uses of alco- 
holic liquors is in fevers. When, after prolonged illness, 
there may be danger of the heart's failure, liquors are 



222 WHEN MOST HARMFUL 

useful in such conditions to stimulate the action of the 
heart" 

"Doctor, it is a common belief that the use of beer de- 
creases the consumption of other liquors?" 

"That is very doubtful. In the first place, it is difficult 
to get reliable statistics, because it is almost impossible 
to determine the number of people who drink liquor. It 
is a well-known fact that the total abstainers have in- 
creased more rapidly in recent years than ever before; and 
if this be taken into consideration it is more than prob- 
able that the liquor drinkers still drink as much or more 
distilled liquors than ever before, notwithstanding the 
enormous consumption of beer, at least the general use 
of malt liquors has increased, rather than decreased, 
drunkenness." 

"Doctor, you have said nothing about the moral as- 
pect of liquor drinking." 

"Well, we are not dealing with moral questions, but 
we have already said that most people have neither the 
instinct of brutes nor sufficient reason to guide them, and 
are, therefore, very imperfectly organized." 

"When can liquors be drank with the least injury?" 

"At meal time; for some people, a small amount of 
liquor at meal time is less harmful than tea or coffee; 
but the man who drinks quantities of liquor of any kind 
whatsoever, on an empty stomach, so violently outrages 
his system that he needs something added to or taken 
from his brains." 

"Doctor, what kind of a drink is soda water?" 

"Soda water is made by simply aerating water with 
common carbonic acid gas." 

"How is the gas made?" 

"By saturating marble dust with sulphuric acid, and the 
gas is collected in a tin-lined tank, and is drawn off, mixed 



SODA WATER 223 

with the water as drawn. The flavoring matter is sup- 
posed to be fruit syrups; but for the most part, they are 
made of essential oils." 

"Is the drink beneficial or injurious?" 

"There is not enough of any very active substance to 
have much effect, and it is usually considered an occa- 
sional glass of soda water does no harm, although if tanks 
are not properly lined, the soda water would be poison- 
ous. It should not be drunk except on an empty stom- 
ach." 

"Ginger ale is quite similar to soda water, only has con- 
siderable quantity of ginger. It is sometimes beneficial, 
but not a good drink for continual use." 

"Root beers are usually fermented drinks; and while 
some people think them wholesome, it is difficult to un- 
derstand how any fermented drink can be of any use to 
the system, although they Have probably not sufficient 
amount of ferment to be of any particular injury, and 
certainly no benefit. 



CHAPTER XIX. 
INFANT FEEDING. 

"Doctor, you have discussed the processes, of diges- 
tion and the properties of foods, cannot the people adapt 
their diet to their needs from the information you have 
given?" 

"Well, the advice ought to be of great help, yet there 
is more to learn; for we have not said a word about the 
quantities of food needed for different conditions." 

"A good many people think that appetite ought to 
govern, both in the selection and amount of food that 
each person should eat" 

"What else has been governing them since the dawn 
of creation? As the people now live, ninety-nine out of 
every hundred are partly or wholly disabled a considera- 
ble portion of the time, which is a poor reason for doing 
things as they have in the past. Those who say that appe- 
tite should absolutely govern, are not very thoughtful, 
to say the least." 

"Why so? Do you think present conditions show such 
grievous effects?" 

"Not the effects alone, however bad, but the principle 
of being governed by appetite is not in harmony with 
common practice; for is it not the cook who decides what 
food we shall eat?" 

"I guess you are right, Doctor; the cook may not pre- 
pare one meal a week to suit the appetite or needs of a 
single member of the family." 

"That's the point; most people have little or no choice 
in the selection of their diet; they must eat what is fur- 
nished, and that is often incompatible; hence, the system 

235 



226 HUMAN BEINGS NO INSTINCT 

is not nourished, and an excessive amount of food must 
be consumed to supply some necessary ingredients. It 
is foolish to talk about instinct guiding a human being. 
If such were possible, it would be the least perverted, and 
therefore a safe guide in the care of infants. Now, a 
child will go into the fire, or off of a precipice, or swallow 
pins, coins, buttons, and often kill themselves eating pop- 
corn, raisins and other foods; while an animal, governed 
by instinct, will not do such things. Here is another 
very striking illustration of both ignorance and lack of 
instinct. Young infants often have indigestion from nurs- 
ing too frequently. This gives them the colic, so-called, 
and their discomfort makes them fretful." 

"Well, what of that?" 

"The baby cries, and the mother hastens to nurse it. 
Now, it is already suffering because it has nursed too 
often, but the child has no instinct and the mother no 
knowledge to prevent the repetition of the injury." 

"Your statement seems reasonable, Doctor; for almost 
every one knows that a grown person cannot stand con- 
tinual feeding, and it does not seem rational to conclude 
that a young babe could do it." 

"No; the injurious effects of continual feeding have 
been so often proven by every good physician, it must be 
accepted as a fact." 

"Doctor, how often should a baby nurse?" 

"During the first three days after birth, four or five 
times a day. One or two teaspoonfuls of water may be 
given occasionaly, but no other food. After the first few 
days the child may be allowed to nurse every two or three 
hours, between 5 a. m. and 11 p. m., and once during the 
night, until five or six months old." 

"Should the child be fed at regular intervals?" 

"Yes ; it is of greatest importance. The hours for feed- 



INFANT FEEDING 



227 



ing should even be more regular than that of a grown per- 
son." 

"Doctor, would it not be a good idea to give a table, 
showing how children should be fed at different ages?" 

"Perhaps so; the best authorities give the following as 
a guide to hours and quantity of food required for a 
child up to one year of age: 



Age of 
Child. 



1 week 

1 weeks 

1 month 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

9 

12 



How often fed 
or nursed. 

2 hours 
2 " 



2* 

2i 

2J 

3 

3 

3 

3 

3 



a 



Number of 

times fed 

during night. 

2 
2 
1 
1 
1 



Amount of 

each 

feeding. 

1 



Dally 
total. 



Daily 
number of 
feedings. 

10 



oz. 10 oz. 
1J to 3 15 to 16 8 to 10 
2\ to 3 20 to 24 9 to 10 



4 oz. 

4 oz. 

5 oz. 
3J oz. 

6 oz. 
7i oz. 
8 oz. 



28 oz. 
28 oz. 
30 oz. 
33 oz. 
36 oz. 
37J oz. 
40 oz. 



7 
7 
6 
6 
6 
5 
5 



Of course the size and vigor of the child make it neces- 
sary to vary the quantity accordingly." 

"Will there not be a tendency to fretfulness between the 
periods of nursing?" 

"There should not be, although babies frequently get 
dry and cry for water. If a child is fretful and there is 
no reason why it should be hungry, it should be given 
water with a teaspoon." 

"How soon can the night nursing be discontinued?" 
"After a child is six months old it may be nursed at 
bed time, say ten o'clock, and early in the morning, be- 
fore seven. After it is a year old, It need not be fed later 



228 ARTIFICIAL FEEDING 

than seven or eight in the evening and at its usual hour 
of awaking in the morning." 

"Will babies readily accept this arrangement ?" 

"Not always. They may want to nurse every fifteen 
minutes; but the mother should be guided by reason in 
feeding, just as she would in keeping her babe out of the 
fire if it should have an impulse to go into it." 

"Suppose the child doesn't thrive, what then?" 

"Of course no arrangement of feeding can supply the 
place of wholesome milk, and it often happens that the 
mother is incapable of doing this. In such cases the next 
best thing is cow's milk." 

"That would seem to be very poor, considering the 
number of deaths attributed to it." 

"Artificial feeding has always been the greatest source 
of infant mortality, and great care should always be exer- 
cised in the preparation of milk for infants. Cow's milk 
differs greatly from human milk." 

"Yes; I remember that you said it contained much 
more casein, or curd, and much less milk sugar." 

"So I did ; and it is therefore much more difficult to 
digest, and should b~e modified for infant feeding." 

"What do you mean by modified?" 

"It must be diluted to make the curd smaller, and en- 
riched by cream and sugar." 

"What is the best method of doing this?" 

"It should receive about twice as much water as the 
quantity of mirk, so that one pint of milk makes three 
after being diluted. This may be done in several ways. 
If the child's digestion Be good, pure water may be all 
that is required ; but if not, and the child is sick or cross, 
some other method must be resorted to. The most com- 
mon diluent is barley water. For this, take pearl barley 
(or rice) and pound or grind to a fine flour; add two ta- 



■ 



MODIFYING MILK 229 

blespoonfuls of the flour to each quart of cold water and 
boil for an hour, and then strain through clean, fine linen 
or a colander. Keep in cool place. In case of diarrhoea, 
lime water will be most useful. Take a lump of unslaked 
lime, half the size of an egg, and pour two quarts of hot 
water on it, and let it stand until clear; then pour off the 
clear liquid for use. Do not use any part of the sediment. 
For ordinary use 10 grains of bicarbonate of soda (com- 
mon baking soda) to each pint of water, will make a bet- 
ter alkaline water than the lime. This should be used 
in constipation. If neither of these methods should prove 
satisfactory, refined gelatine, such as the Keystone (made 
by the Michigan Carbon Co.) may be soaked in twice its 
bulk of cold water until soft, and then boiled and 
strained. As gelatine is a good and easily digested food, 
a considerable quantity may be added to the water, to be 
used for diluting the milk." 

"Which of these diluents is preferable?" 

"The barley water or gelatine, the bicarbonate of soda 
for sour stomach, and the lime water in case of diar- 
rhoea; but neither lime water nor soda should be used 
continuously." 

"These diluents are for breaking up the curds. How 
do you make the milk richer?" 

"That is done by adding cream and sugar. Some- 
times half cream and half milk are used, but it is better to 
take the top milk; that is, after the milk has stood some 
six hours the cream and milk of the upper half of the can 
or jar is skimmed off for use. To each half-pint of top 
milk two and a half to three heaping teaspoonfuls of or- 
dinary sugar should be added." 

"How would you mix the ingredients for a child two 
months old?" 



230 MILK INFECTION 

"A child two months old would require, say, twenty- 
four ounces each day, prepared as follows: 

Top milk 8 ounces. 

Barley water .... 16 ounces. 

Sugar 4 heaping teaspoonfuls. 

If gelatine water, lime water or soda water be used instead 

of barley water, it will require the same amount." 

"Will children thrive better on this mixture than pure 
milk?" 

"Very much. Milk, without dilution, is too rich for 
many babes. They cannot digest it, and are not nour- 
ished, but get diarrhoea and die. Many a young babe 
has been carried to the grave, because its mother did not 
know of this way of modifying milk." 

"What is the next most important thing to know?" 

"That the milk has not been poisoned by disease-breed- 
ing germs." 

"I don't see how we are to know this." 

r Tf people do not keep their own cows, so that they 
know that they are clean and healthy, and do not know 
that the water used in washing the milk vessels is not con- 
taminated by barnyards or privies, or if so, that it has 
been boiled before using on milk vessels, it is not safe 
to use milk unless pasteurized or sterilized." 

"How about cellars with decaying vegetables?" 

"Well, milk must be kept in an atmosphere that is 
sweet; if this cannot be done, it must be put in sealed or 
air-tight jars." 

"I have often heard that milk is a great absorbent of 

poisons from the atmosphere." 

"That is true; for there is no other animal food which 
so quickly decays as milk, or which so readily absorbs 
poison from the atmosphere, so that the greatest care is 
needed to prevent its contamination. Milk is an ideal 
food for infants and children, but if not kept from infec- 



QUANTITY AT EACH FEEDING 231 

tion, it becomes a source of virulent sickness and death. 
This fact makes it incumbent upon us to use the utmost 
care to protect milk from all unclean or contaminating 
influences, and it must never be allowed to stand in open 
vessels, where there is foul air, and especially in the sick 
chamber. It is even objectionable to have milk stand 
in open vessels in sitting rooms, kitchens or pantries." 

"Suppose there is doubt about the quality of the milk?" 

'There may be doubt if you keep your own cow, and 
there certainly will be if milk is purchased from dairymen. 
In such cases, it will be much better to buy pasteurized 
milk in bottles, which should be kept tightly corked. If 
this cannot be done, the milk should be strained and pas- 
teurized in bottles or fruit jars that are fitted with air- 
tight lids; the latter are preferable, because easier cleaned. 
(For method, see 'Milk.')'' 

"Doctor, I have heard that it is better to feed a child 
with milk from only one cow." 

"Yes, many writers have advocated this; but it is more 
reasonable to suppose that the milk from a herd of cows 
would have a more uniform daily average than that of 
any one cow." 

"Should the milk be warmed before giving to the 
child?" 

"Certainly. Enough should be poured out of the sup- 
ply jar for one feeding and the bottle set in warm water 
(not hot enough to scald the hand), and left until the milk 
is as warm as fresh milk/ 

"How much should be given at each feeding?" 

"That depends on the age of the child; you will see 
from the table I gave you that at first a baby takes only 
an ounce of milk at a feeding, but when a year old, eight 
or nine ounces at a time. One thing is of greatest im- 
portance, and that is, not to put more milk into the nurs- 



232 FEEDING BABIES 

ing bottle than the child should have at one feeding, ac- 
cording to age and amount given in the table." 

"Why is this?" 

"It prevents over-feeding, and you know exactly what 
the child is getting. If there be indigestion, the amount 
should be at least temporarily reduced; and if extra 
hearty, slightly increased. There must be uniformity, both 
in amount and as to time." 

"This can't be done when the mother nurses her babe?" 

"Yes, it can; the child should not be permitted to nurse 
longer than fifteen or? twenty minutes. Some foolish 
mothers are disposed to give their babies everything they 
want, as though their opinions were worth more than the 
most learned men, who have cared for thousands of chil- 
dren, both in hospitals and private practice. The safe 
side is on that of short allowance; this will not likely do 
any harm — extra allowance probably will." 

"If one lived in a city and found it difficult to get any 
milk except what is partly skimmed, what should be 
done?" 

"Some sweet cream should be purchased and mixed 
with the milk — say one part cream to two parts of milk. 
This should then be diluted with barley or gelatine water, 
freshly made, put in a bottle or fruit jar, then pasteurized 
and set in a cool place. The amount necessary for each 
day should be prepared in this way." 

"What is the best way to feed babies with milk?" 
"The nursing bottle is generally used, and it is one of 
the most objectionable things connected with hand-feed- 
ing." 

"For what reason?" 

"From the fact that bottles are hard to clean, and be- 
cause people persist in using rubber tubing. This can 



NURSING BOTTLES 233 

hardly be cleaned, and is, therefore, a breeding-house for 
bacteria." 

"Then it is better not to use any tubing at all?" 

"Well, no mother can afford to have disease-breeding 
tubing attached to the nursing bottle if she wants her babe 
to live. The bottle should hold about a half-pint, should 
have a sloping neck and oval bottom, that it may be easily 
cleaned with a brush or sterilized cotton. The nipple 
should be attached direct to the neck of the bottle and be 
so constructed that it can be turned inside out and thor- 
oughly cleaned. The bottles should be washed in borax 
water and then boiled." 

"Some people will say that all these precautions are a 
good deal of trouble." 

"That is true; but not half as much as a sick baby. 
Those who would rather have their babies in the ceme- 
tery need not take the trouble." 

"Will the method of feeding you have outlined insure 
healthy children?" 

"As a general rule it will, but not always, and when 
milk disagrees, other methods are resorted to. It some- 
times happens that the prepared foods will agree with a 
child when milk will not." 

"Are the prepared infant foods made of milk?" 
"No, there are milk preparations, such as Horlick's 
malted milk, but most of the prepared foods are made of 
starch, dextrinized, or partly digested, by diastase, or other 
methods. They sometimes serve a good purpose, but 
even though they make a child fat, they are seldom 
healthy." 

"In the event that milk disagrees, what is to be done?" 

"That may happen because the child gets too much or 
too rich milk. In such cases, a less quantity should be 
given, or the milk may be reduced by adding a little more 



234 BROTHS CEREAL FOODS 

water, and not so much sugar. If the child is not sick, 
but does not thrive, the milk may not be rich enough. 
It must be remembered that infants do not all require 
foods of equal richness or the same ingredients, and that 
milk varies much, depending on the breed and the feed 
of the cows. In the Summer, milk is richer in dry weather 
than in wet, because the grass is drier and richer." 

"Is it advisable to give meat broths or other foods to 
young children?" 

"Yes; broths made of lean beef, chicken or veal, may 
be used instead of milk, for short periods, when there is 
indigestion or diarrhoea. They should be made by macer- 
ating chopped lean meat in cold water and then pressed. 
The juice should be warmed, but not boiled. Cold water 
absorbs much more of the nutritious part of meat than 
hot. Broths made with hot water are not nourishing. 
Some children thrive on cream gruel." 

"How is it made?" 

"Take rolleci oats and add three and a half times its 
bulk of cold water. Boil an hour and a half, or until it 
is dissolved to a pulp. Strain through a fine colander 
(sieve) while hot (the strained portion should be about the 
consistency of jelly when cold). 

"To the strained oatmeal add an equal part of sweet 
cream and one or two teaspoonfuls of sugar; then add 
three to four times the bulk of both oatmeal and cream 
of boilingf water. This should be an admirable food for 
children eight or ten months old, although children five 
months old have done as well as they could possibly have 
done on any food." 

"Why is it objectionable for children under eight 
months?" 

"It is claimed that young babies do not digest starch, 
and some eminent authorities say they should not have 



WEANING 235 

starch before they are ten months old; others equally 
good, say that the ability to digest starch commences to 
develop when the child commences to grow and increases 
so that it is permissible to give starchy food at six or 
eight months of age. For very young infants the cream 
gruel should have malt, or diastase to digest the starch 
before feeding." 

"About what age should children be weaned?" 

"It is always advisable for them to nurse through the 
second summer, if the mother's health permits it, although 
it is sometimes necessary to wean children very young. 
At any rate, the weaning should not be begun during the 
hot season, if it can be avoided, nor under a year, or over 
eighteen months old." 

"Should the nursing be suddenly stopped?" 

"No; they should be fed cow's milk, modified as di- 
rected. It would be better to try two parts water to one 
of top milk in the beginning of the weaning period. As 
the child grows, the water may be reduced to one part, in- 
stead of two. The milk-feeding should take the place of 
the mother's nursing at same regular intervals, and the 
nursings should be dropped gradually, and the weaning 
cover a period of two months." 

"Should children ever be bottle-fed and nursed during 
the same period?" 

"Whenever a child does not thrive, bottle-feeding 
should be tried for some of the feedings instead of nurs- 
ing." 

"When may a child be given foods other than milk or 
gruel?" 

"Strained meat broths may be given at almost any age, 
and next to it is soft-boiled eggs, or eggs stirred into 
hot, but not boiling, gelatine water. A child cannot mas- 
ticate solid food until it has teeth, and milk, with sugar, 



236 AFTER WEANING 

beef or chicken broths, soft eggs, bread and milk, and 
cereal or starch gruels must form the essential part of 
every child's diet, until it has teeth. The practice of giv- 
ing young children solid foods like meats, raw vegetables, 
raisins and like substances, has been the instrument of 
death for thousands." 
"Are fruits not permissible?" 

"Sour fruit juices are not permissible with milk; but 

fruits, like apples or peaches, when cooked and free from 

solid substances, may be given children over a year old." 

"How many meals a day should a child receive when it 

commences to eat such foods as you have named?" 

"From four to five meals a day during a child's second 
year." 
. "Should children be given tea or coffee?" 

"Young children must not be given tea, coffee, beer, 
liquors, or fermented drinks of any kind" 

"What foods may be given children over two years 
old?" 

"I will first speak of some of the foods not to be given 
them. The worst abused children are those who are in- 
dulged by their parents to such an extent as to be al- 
lowed to eat everything they see. They must be kept 
out of the pantry; for nothing could be worse than per- 
mitting them cakes, sugar, pastry, green fruits, or anything 
else they may happen to want. Besides the objection to 
such articles, they are frequently allowed to eat' them at 
all hours of the day, and if life were not so exceedingly 
hard to destroy, the mortality rate of children would de- 
populate the country. Parents are disposed to be particu- 
lar about almost everything for their children except their 
diet, and in this they are less restricted than grown people, 
although they are in greater need of it." 
"This is not very definite about what they should eat." 



PROHIBITED FOODS 237 

"But I have only discussed preliminaries, and I am go- 
ing to strike out their ordinary diet at one blow, by throw- 
ing out the frying-pan and all fried food; nor will I stop 
here; pickles for children are instruments of death, but 
are not worse than sourkraut, and not much worse than 
griddle or pan-cakes, salads and raw vegetables." 

"Which of the fried foods are the worst?" 

"Fried eggs and fried salt pork, ham or snoulder." 

"Doctor, your attack on the ordinary way of feeding 
children is rather sharp, and your list of prohibited foods 
rather sweeping." 

"That may be, but there are still more; pepper, mustard 
and all condiments, except a small amount of salt, must 
go ; together with cheese, bananas, cherries, grapes (unless 
skins and seeds are removed), blackberries and raspber- 
ries, except the juice, gooseberries, cranberries, currants, 
stringy vegetables, unless chopped fine, canned fish, hot, 
doughy biscuits or bread, cakes, pies, doughnuts, nuts, 
unless ground, popcorn, raisins for children under eight 
years old, the skin of fowls, green or over-ripe fruits, to- 
matoes, muffins, fritters, salt fish, peas and beans, unless 
ground or thoroughly cooked and passed through a sieve, 
green, dried, or canned corn, new potatoes, ice water and 
ice cream, except in small quantity, when slow eating can 
be enforced." 

"Doctor, your lists are as sweeping as a cyclone. Are 
there any foods except milk you haven't condemned?" 

"Plenty of them. There is bread, cracked wheat and 
wheat foods, corn preparations other than green, dried, 
and canned corn, rice, oatmeal, barley, rye, meats in small 
quantities, boiled or roasted, eggs, raw or slightly cooked, 
fruits, except as prohibited in the list given, fresh fish, 
cooked vegetables, when strings are cut very short, baked 
or mashed potatoes, arrow root, tapioca, sago, and gela- 



238 DIET FOR CHILDREN 

tine. Wheat, oat and corn mushes should be strained for 
children under five years old." 

"What ought to be the staple diet for children?" 
"Milk, entire wheat bread, oatmeal, wheat gluten, grits, 
or germ meal, fruits, rice, meat, fresh fish, and soft-cooked 
eggs. In all food preparations or mixtures, it must be 
kept constantly in mind that all the starchy foods require 
much cooking, while meats and eggs but little; also an 
excess of fat and sweets must be avoided. As an exam- 
ple, if eggs are used in rice pudding, they must be added 
after the rice is cooked, for there will be enough heat in 
the rice to cook the eggs." 

"Should the diet of growing children differ materially 
from that of older persons?" 

"It should contain more tissue-forming food and more 
mineral matter. These elements are found principally in 
milk, wheat, oats, meats and eggs. The first three in 
some form or other should compose the main part of 
their diet. Growing children who do not have foods con- 
taining lime, will do better on hard water than on soft, as 
the former furnishes lime necessary for the bones." 

"Doctor, can you give a model diet for different ages 
of children?" 

"It is easy to indicate suitable food, but very difficult 
to be definite as to quantities, because there are so many 
modifying circumstances. One child may be as large and 
active at tfiree years of age as another at five ; then tem- 
perature, clothing, exercise and growth are all elements 
of food requirements. Probably as near an estimate as to 
quantity of food needed for an adult is about one ounce of 
food as ordinarily eaten, or half an ounce of dry food, to 
each three pounds of weight of the individual, but for fat 
people, or the sedentary, this would be much too high 
for a daily average. Now, as I have already stated, chil- 



INFANT FEEDING, FIRST PERIOD 239 

dren require a higher per cent, of nitrogen, because, in 
addition to the ordinary waste of tissue, they must have 
something for growth; but as the average growth does 
not exceed one-third of an ounce per day, which is 
seventy per cent, water, it will be seen that the need for 
growth has been greatly exaggerated by many writers. 
A child a year old will consume forty ounces of milk, con- 
taining five ounces of solid food, while the average growth 
of a child per day will not exceed a tenth of an ounce of 
solid matter." 

"How would that compare with the standard diet ot 

grown people?" 

'The diet for grown people, weighing seven or eight 
times as much as a child one year old, would contain 
about four times as much protein as the diet of an infant 
one year old." 

"Doctor, how would you divide the different periods of 
a child's life, for the purpose of arranging dietaries?" 

"The first period is from birth up to eight or ten months 
of age. During this period modified milk is next best to 
that of the mother's. When these fail, pre-digested starch 
preparations, sold as prepared foods, such as Imperial 
Granum, should be tried. Some children do better on 
them than milk, and some give them with milk to great 
advantage. Part of a beaten egg may be given for tem- 
porary use." 

"Then when a~child is eight or ten months old, it may 
be fed some starch?" 

"Yes; white bread, crackers, arrow root and sago may 
be added to the milk given the child. If bread be used, it 
must be good bread, well baked and dissolved in milk 
or hot water, and given in small quantities. Wheat, oats, 
and rice preparations, when boiled to a gulp and strained 



240 FEEDING, SECOND PERIOD 

through a very fine sieve, are very useful additions to 
milk." 
"When may other foods be given?" 
"It must be kept in mind that a child must not have 
solid food until it has teeth, although other soft food, such 
as mashed potatoes, baked or stewed, sweet or sub-acid 
apples, free from peel, seeds and core, may be given." 
"May other fruits be used?" 

"They must be used with great care; all very sour and 
astringent fruits must be avoided. In constipation, 
slightly acid fruit juices, when strained, may be given two 
or three hours after meals, and one hour before." 
"When may other animal foods be added?" 
"Soft-boiled or poached eggs may be given children 
in their second year, and in some cases the first. It would 
be well to give only one or two teaspoonfuls at first, and 
never more than one egg at a meal until a child is four 
years old. The practice of permitting children to eat two 
or three hard-fried eggs is most reprehensible and danger- 
ous to the child." 

"When may solid food be allowed?" 
"A child should have a good number of teeth at two 
and a half years of age, and this may be said to be, about 
the beginning of the third period." 

"Are no meats to be allowed before a child is two and 
a half years old?" 

"Meats are given after eighteen months of age, but they 
must be scraped, ground or in some way reduced to a 
pulp or powder" 

_ "After a child has teeth, I suppose it may be given a dry 

^ "Only to a limited extent. The diet should still con- 
tinue much the same, except that the bread need not be 
soaked, nor the meat powdered. Cooked garden vegeta- 



CAUSES OF INFANT MORTALITY 241 

bles (one variety at a time), chopped crosswise of the fibre, 
may be added to some of the meals." 

"When would you change this diet?" 

"Well, there should be no radical change made from 
this diet, except an increase in quantity, and some relax- 
ation as to straining foods, when a child reaches five or 
six years of age." 

"When would you allow such prohibited foods as to- 
matoes and bananas?" 

"They might be tried in a limited way, at six or seven 
years of age; baked bananas at two or three." 

"Would you allow the use of fried foods at this age?" 

"No ; I would bar the frying-pan for all ages." 

"Doctor, you seem to be severe. iYou must consider 
the effects of bad feeding and training very far-reaching 
in their effect." 

"The fearful infant mortality only faintly indicates the 
direful results of ignorance on this subject. Who can 
measure the sorrow, anxiety and care expended on sick 
children, that could easily be avoided? Nor is this all; 
they are allowed to grow worse than maimed, a burden 
to themselves and often a care on their friends or society. 
Why is there not some anxiety on the part of parents, to 
give their children freedom from pain and disease, as well 
as riches? Is not a sound body more conducive to hap- 
piness than wealth?" 

"Then you think if children were properly ushered into 
manhood and womanhood, and taught how to live, most 
of our troubles would be averted?" 

"Undoubtedly; even a weak child, if properly fed and 
trained, may be developed into good, healthy manhood or 
womanhood, and their growing period is the time to cor- 
rect their defects." 



242 CHILDREN'S DIETARIES 

From 12 to 18 Months Old. 
"Doctor, will you arrange dietaries for children from 
the age of one year to maturity?" 

"I have already done so, and will read it to you:" 
"A child 12 months old should be fed at about 7 and 
10:30 a. m.; 2:30, 6 and 10 p. m. If the child is not 
weaned, it will probably be advisable to allow it to nurse 
the first, third and last meal, and fed the second and fourth. 
When the nursing is reduced to twice a day, it will be 
best to nurse the second and last meals, and finally feed- 
ing may be substituted for these, as weaning progresses. 
A child a year old, will require forty ounces of modified 
milk, one-third of which is milk and cream— 'top milk/ 
A child a year and a hall old will require a pint, to a pint 
and ^ quarter of top milk, and two or three ounces, when 
strained, of well-cooked starch, either rice, barley, flour, 
arrowroot, sago or oatmeal, four or five teaspoonfuls of 
sugar, and a pint and a half of water, for the five daily 
feedings. Meat broths, egg or prepared foods, may be 
substituted if they agree with the child better than milk 
and starch." 

"In following this outline for feeding, what would be 
the most probable error?" 

"Giving an excessive quantity of food and too little fat 
— the result of poor milk" 

Dietaries— 1J to 2J Years of Age. 

Milk, cereal gruels and mushes, sago, arrowroot, tapi- 
oca, eggs, bread and milk or broths, scraped meat in 
small quantities, meat broths, rice, milk or gelatine or 
starch pudding, stewed fruits that do not require sugar, 
such as apples and prunes, without skins. 

2J to 6 Years. 

To above add: Meat, powdered or scraped, bread, en- 
tire wheat, fish, fruits, according to directions, cooked 



CHILDREN'S DIETARIES 243 

garden vegetables — except tomatoes, cucumbers and pep- 
pers — wheat gluten, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes. 
6 to 10 or 11 Years. 
' Additional foods: Tomatoes, bananas (occasionally), 
raisins, oysters. Straining will not be necessary for 
cereals, but for legumes, peas, beans and lentils, ground 
or cooked until they are of consistency of puree, powdered 
nuts." 



CHAPTER XX. 
DIET IN PUBERTY. 

"Doctor, why do you make a division at 10 or 11 years 
of age?" 

'The dietary from 6 to 11 was intended to reach to 
the age of puberty." 

"Then you regard puberty as a critical period?" 

"For girls it is extremely so, because mistakes at this 
time not only seriously affect girlhood and womanhood, 
but it also curses unborn generations." 

"How is that?" 

"The young girl of to-day will soon be the mothers of 
another generation, and what affects their health will likely 
affect their progeny." 

"What connection has food with such dreadful results?" 

"There can be no growth without suitable food; for 
nourishment is a vital element of all life. Now, when a 
girl reaches puberty, there is an increased physical de- 
mand, for two reasons : (1) It is a period of more rapid 
growth, or at least it should be so. (2) The functional 
development of the sexual organs causes an increased 
drain on the system, which, if not met by suitable nour- 
ishment, results in injury well-nigh immeasurable." 

"Is that the reason why young girls are so often anae- 
mic?" 

"It is the principal reason. A girl cannot grow into 
healthy womanhood without good blood, and if she has 
it not, the effect is as obvious as a long drouth on the. 
summer harvest." 

"Do you mean to say, that the disorders peculiar to 

345 



246 CAUSE OF WOMAN'S ILLS 

women, with the agony they have to endure, are mainly 
due to lack of care during puberty?" 

"They are largely due to lack of intelligent care between 
the ages of 11 and 17. Many girls receive a kind of well- 
meant care, that is worse than total neglect. They are the 
children who are fed dainties, over-dressed, restrained, and 
in winter kept in rooms ten or fifteen degrees too hot; but 
in summer are dressed in the thinest fabrics, no matter 
how cool the weather. Woman's physical woes can be 
described in short terms: Idiotic_feeding, and maniacal 
folly in dress." 

"That is strong language." 

"But not too strong. An idiot is a person without rea- 
son. When we do things without reason, things, too, that 
dumb Animals will not do, are they not idiotic? Now, as 
the conventional dress of women is responsible for a large 
per cent, of their ills, what less can we call it than mania?" 

"But how is dress related to feeding?" 

"In this way: A well-nourished body, to a great ex- 
tent, protects itself; but if the organs of the body are dis- 
placed, or the circulation interfered with by tight clothing, 
it cannot do so." 

"Be a little more specific, doctor. Name the habits that 
seem to you the most injurious." 

"Eating at all hours of the day. Eating improper food, 
such as pop-corn, cake, candy, pickles, green and over-ripe 
fruit, fried foods and doughy bread, saturated with butter 
or gravy. During puberty, girls' appetites seem to crave 
all sorts of things, because they see others eat them; 
whereas, the demands of the body require food rich in 
tissue-forming substances, and not very difficult to digest. 
Eating between meals is one of the most pernicious habits 
of school girls, and it can't be cut too short. Pampering 
children with ail sorts of pastry and highly -seasoned 



PAMPERING CHILDREN 247 

dishes, destroys the taste for natural food, and curses them 
for life. They should be fed on plainly, but well cooked 
cereals, well-baked bread, from entire grain, milk, meat, 
eggs, cooked without fat, and sound, ripe fruits. A lim- 
ited amount of sugar, syrup or candy, may occasionally 
be eaten at meal time. Pop-corn and nuts are wholesome 
when finely ground, but must be prohibited as ordinarily 
eaten." 

"Young people should have good digestion, why so 
particular?" 

"Because the newly-developed functions of sex interfere 
with digestion for about five days before and after stated 
periods, so that nearly a half a month is taken up with the 
excretion of waste and repair, which makes them ex- 
tremely sensitive to cold and liable to constipation, both 
of which must be shunned as deadly enemies." 

"Why should they shun constipation more than other 
people?" 

"Well, besides the importance of good digestion at this 
period, accumulation of fecal matter in the bowels, dis- 
turbs the circulation in the delicate organs of generation, 
and may cause a life of suffering." 

"Doctor, you seem to favor both freedom and restraint." 

"Yes, a girl should be dressed so as to allow the great- 
est personal activity, and mothers should remember that 
a daughter's health is far more important than lady-like 
deportment. As an example of anaemic women, there 
are none so bad as the French of the upper classes. Re- 
straint, convent life, and folly in dress, make the French 
women the poorest, physically, that exist in any enlight- 
ened country." 

"How would you overcome the disregard for warmth, 
nourishing food, regular eating, and lack of exercise?" 

"By teaching girls before they reach puberty that they 



248 PROPER TRAINING, PRE NATAL INFLUENCE 

are to become women, and that it would be far less injuri- 
ous for them to cut off an arm or a foot, and less painful, 
too, than to be badly developed women and have to suffer 
all their lives." 

"How about diet for boys?" 

"If fried foods, green and over-ripe fruits, and an ex- 
cess of food, be kept from boys, they will not be sick." 

"How can over-eating be prevented?" 

"By taking all the food necessary for one meal on the 
plate or dishes at one time. Boys should not be allowed 
to repeatedly help themselves, for no attention is paid to 
the great quantities of food eaten in this way." 

"Doctor, you have indicated from your remarks that 
you were a strong believer in pre-natal influences, and I 
suppose that diet and the mental conditions of prospective 
mothers are very important factors in shaping the char- 
acter of unborn children?" 

"Undoubtedly; the unborn child is mainly dependent 
upon its mother for its physical life, and to a great extent 
its mentality, and these, in turn, must have proper nour- 
ishment or be undeveloped." 

"Are there not other influences which affect the pre- 
natal life of the child?" 

"Yes; this is especially true of dress. A well-known 
author, when asked when a prospective mother should 
discard the corset, very pithily answered, Two hundred 
years before her child is to be born;' but this does not be- 
long to foods." 

"No, I am sorry; but in the companion volume you 
can sing the undying dirge of the waist-constrictor and 
pain-producer of female apparel. But what are the faults 
of the mother's diet that make her children so imperfect?" 

"The unborn child receives its nourishment direct from 
its mother's blood, necessitating good health on her part." 



PRE NATAL EFFECT OF FRUIT 249 

"Is there any particular kind of food required?" 

"There is a theory advocated in Tokology, and other 
books, that child-birth is made easy by a fruit and starch 
diet It is argued that acids dissolve mineral matter and 
prevent the bones of the unborn child becoming solid, and 
that when fruits are used in connection with foods con- 
taining but little lime and other mineral substances, the 
bones of the child at birth will be extremely flexible, and 
birth, therefore, very easy." 

"You don't endorse the theory?" 

"No ; because the bones of all children at birth are soft, 
and when they are deficient in lime, the child will be in 
a diseased condition called rickets. In health, nature al- 
ways preserves its own balance, and when it cannot do 
this we have disease." 

"Probably the good effect is due to the fruit diet?" 

"That is it. A wrong theory did not spoil the good 
effects of the diet when it happened to be particularly 
adapted to the person using it." 

"Then you endorse the fruit and starch diet, but not the 
reason given for it?" 

"Not entirely — it is a good thing carried too far. As 
already explained, fruit is an internal cleanser, which gives 
life and elasticity to the tissues of the body and prevents 
constipation and uric acid concretions, and it is these 
effects which have given such satisfactory results to pros- 
pective mothers." 

"What is it that you condemn?" 

"It has several faults, chief of which is the indiscrim- 
inate use of fruit acids and starches. To give you an 
example of the effect of acids and starch, I recently emp- 
tied a man's stomach eighteen hours after eating tapioca. 
Now, tapioca is practically pure starch and easily digested , 
but in this particular case there was an excessive secretion 



250 ACIDS AND STARCHES 

of acid, and the tapioca was not digested in eighteen 
hours, but the particles were much larger than when swal- 
lowed. In another case, I found undigested and un- 
changed grains of rice five hours after the lady had eaten 
rice and two oranges." 

"Might that not have occurred with meat?" 

"No; I have emptied stomachs where there was exces- 
sive acid secretion and found meat digested within one 
hour from the time when eaten." 

"Then you favor a meat diet?" 

"Only to a limited extent. I favor a fruit diet, but not 
such incompatible foods at the same meal as rice and 
oranges and rhubarb and toast." 

"You must know of some ill effects to unborn chil- 
dren?" 

"Yes; excessive or imprudent use of fruits derange di- 
gestion and bring dyspeptic and crying babies into the 
world." 

"Some people think they cannot have too much of a 
good thing." 

"I am not one of them. It has been my constant study 
to find out the use of foods from a practical standpoint, 
rather than follow the speculative theories of either scien- 
tists or 'faddists,' and my original investigation makes me 
an enthusiast in the use of fruit." 

"What diet would you advise for the pre-natal develop- 
ment of the child and the health and comfort of the 
mother?" 

"The welfare of the unborn child and its mother are in- 
separable. Her largest meal should be breakfast and her 
lightest one supper. The daily diet should consist largely 
^ of fruits and cereals — wheat, oats, and rice, with entire 
wheat bread for the staple part of the diet. Broiled or 
stewed chicken, baked fish, broiled, boiled or roast beef 



PRE NATAL DIETARIES 251 

or lamb may be eaten for one meal, breakfast or dinner, 
on alternate dap. The meat must be powdered by grind- 
ing or great care taken in its mastication. Fried or tough 
meat must be wholly excluded. One or two soft-cooked 
eggs for breakfast or dinner may be eaten on alternate 
days, when meat is not allowed. The general rules laid 
down for the use of fruit apply to all conditions. A model 
dietary would be something like the following :" 
Pre-natal Dietaries. 

Breakfast — For tissue-forming foods use one or two 
of the following, according to taste and convenience: 
Eggs soft-cooked at low temperature. 

Fresh beef, mutton, chicken, venison, quail, pheasants, 
stewed or roasted — no canned or salt meats — fresh fish, 
boiled or baked, oysters (fish and shell-fish are so often 
contaminated that they are more or less dangerous), peas 
and beans ground and thoroughly cooked, or boiled and 
passed through a colander, powdered nuts or nut foods, 
wheat gluten, milk when not used with sour fruits, so as 
to form large curds. 

For Starches. 

Dry toast, dried and then browned by hot coals or very 
hot oven. Roast grains that have been well boiled before 
roasting. 

Vegetables to Suit. 

Stewed celery, boiled onions, stewed asparagus, spin- 
ach, well cooked, tomatoes (occasionally), squash, lettuce, 
string beans, green peas, radishes (only in small amount 
when in good health), rhubarb (occasionally, in small 
amount). 

Fruits. 

Sour fruits should be used with the meal containing the 
least starch; for that reason we class them with the meat 
Or egg meal. Baked or stewed apples, such varieties a -. 



252 PRE NATAL DIETARIES 

Ben Davis, Wine Sap, Northern Spy, and Bellflower. 
Oranges may be eaten at breakfast or an hour before, with 
small cup of hot water. Grapes, without skins and seeds, 
strawberries, plums of the large varieties, but not the as- 
tringent kinds, peaches, pineapple juice, but no fibre. 

Fats. 

Cream, butter, nut butter, powdered nuts or nut foods, 
breakfast bacon — broiled. Butter is often more or less 
rancid, and is worse in this respect than cream. Good 
cream and nut butter are the best of all tats. 

Drinks. 

Not more than four ounces of fluid is allowable of one 
of the following: 

Hot water, hot water and milk mixed, caramel cereal, 
cocoa and chocolate in small quantities are permissible 
where there is active exercise. Breakfast should contain 
from one and a half to two and a half ounces of protein — 
tissue-forming food — and should give from one thousand 
to fourteen hundred calories. (See tables giving compo- 
sition of foods.) 

Dinner. 

Dinner should not, under any circumstances, be less 
than five nor more than seven hours after breakfast, and 
should be regular. Six hours is the best, and may include 
one or two articles from the following list, for each meal: 

Corn bread, whole wheat bread, Ralston Health Club 
Breakfast Food, wheat germ grits, Granola, Crystal 
Wheat, rolled oats, rice, beans, hominy and other cereal 
foods. All may be served with milk. 

Vegetables. 

Potatoes — baked, boiled, stewed, roasted or mashed — 
though mashed potatoes are objectionable, because they 
do not get sufficient saliva in eating, and become too 



PRE NATAL DIETARIES 253 

easily swallowed. Boiled cabbage, without fat, celery, raw 
or stewed, greens, spinach, cauliflower, pumpkins, squash, 
green peas, string beans, green corn, tomatoes. 

Fruits. 
Apples— sweet or sub-acid, baked or stewed and eaten 
without sugar; peaches that are not rich in acid, sweet 
grapes, figs, stewed, dates, stewed with skins removed, 
pears (with exceptions of those that are puckery— they are 
astringent and not allowable), prunes with skins removed. 

Fats. 
Same as breakfast. , 

Dinner should furnish one or two ounces of protein and 
about twelve hundred calories of heat. This is not arbi- 
trary, but a guide to diet properly balanced. 

Supper. 
Stale, dry bread, dry or milk toast, boiled rice— prefer- 
ably boiled and roasted— wheat foods, tapioca or sago, 
baked potatoes, honey and molasses (sparingly), baked or 
stewed apples, sweet grapes, watermelons. 

Dessert. 
Fruit pudding, custard, corn-starch, rice pudding, gela- 
tine pudding, ice cream, in small quantities, slowly eaten. 

Fats. 
Same as breakfast, only in less quantity. 

Drinks. 
Milk, if it agrees, otherwise same as breakfast. The 
breakfast meal may sometimes be made the dinner (noon) 
meal, and the dinner meal the breakfast. Sugar should 
be avoided so as to allow the largest use of fruits and 
starches. The astringent fruits, such as blackberries, 
raspberries, dew-berries, cranberries, pomegranates, wild 
cherries and quinces are to be avoided, except when there 
is a tendency to diarrhoea. If bowels are too free, leave 
off the coarse vegetables, the cereals containing bran, and 



254 TO PROSPECTIVE MOTHERS 

the sour fruits. The general rules heretofore explained 
should govern. The amount of food must he adapted to 
the needs as governed by size, exercise or labor, weather 
and peculiarities; Prevent constipation without drugs. 

CAUTION. 

Never eat many different foods at one meal. Three 
different foods at one meal are better than a large num- 
ber., Craving vjery unusual or unseasonable foods is 
unnatural. Keep the thought of food, and for that matter 
all thoughts of self out of mind. It is of greatest import- 
ance that the will be exercised to keep well and pleasant 
and not be disturbed by the disagreeable things of life. 
The mind should be occupied, in a useful way. If there 
be great desire for something unusual it should be grati- 
fied in such a moderate way as not to do harm." 
DIET IN CONFINEMENT AND FOR NURSING 

MOTHERS. 

"The bringing of a new life into the world is a great 
responsibility, and as the health and character of the child 
is dependent upon its parents, the time must be near when 
they will see that it is far more important to have children 
that are fit to live, than it is to leave them wealth. In 
ordinary cases, no food will be needed during labor, but 
in protracted cases it is better to sustain the strength by 
a cup of hot meat broth or hot milk. It was formerly 
thought that puerperal women should be fed for several 
days on broths and gruels, under the belief that it kept 
down puerperal fever, which was much more common, 
before the danger of bacteria was known, than it is now 
under modern aseptic surgery. After her delivery, the 
mother should drink water freely, and after a few hours' 
rest she may then be given a cup of hot bouillon or 
other meat broths, but they must not contain a large 
amount of fat. If the patient is disposed to eat anything, 



DRUGS DURING NURSING 255 

she may again be fed a small amount of milk toast, in four 
or five hours, if made according to directions. Some physi- 
cians allow meat and solid foods, but it would seem to be 
better to confine the diet to soft and easily digested foods 
until the bowels have moved two or three times. Among 
the foods allowable for the first two or three days, are: 
broths, milk if it agrees with the patient ordinarily; one 
egg at a meal, if cooked but little, without fat, or an egg 
may be stirred in any of the broths, only moderately hot, 
but not boiling. Wheat, breakfast foods thoroughly 
cooked, boiled rice, cooked four hours, baked sweet 
apples, cream, a little butter or nut butter, and any of the 
drinks allowed before childbirth. On the second or third 
day, she may resume her ordinary diet, unless there is 
some particular reason for not doing so. After a child is 
born, a mother has two lives to feed from one set of 
digestive organs. Her own health must be considered 
and also that of her child. And in this connection it will 
be useful to consider what affects the mother's milk. The 
medical profession believe that acids ingested by the 
mother, cause colic in her babe and sometimes griping and 
purging, and therefore forbid the use of ordinary fruits, 
but the sweet fruits are not only allowable, but beneficial. 
Potash salts, eaten by a nursing mother act as a diuretic 
in the nursing child. Large quantities of potatoes eaten 
by the mother would likely act as a diuretic in the child, 
but no experiment of this kind has ever been reported, 
and no apparent injury has ever been observed. The 
greatest danger is from the indigestion of the mother. 
The human system being a sort of laboratory, if it be 
thrown out of balance, it may poison itself, and some of 
the poison must necessarily appear in the mother's milk. 
Violent exercise or great emotion or mental strain on the 
part of the mother endangers her nursing child. This is 



<"> 



56 DIET AT WEANING 



not all the danger to which the child is subject, for an 
overdose of laudanum taken by a mother has been known 
to kill her nursing child. Antimony and iodide of potas- 
sium are said to pass most readily into milk, while 
senna, rhubarb, sulphur, castor-oil, turpentine, copaiba 
and anise, the salts of mercury, lead, arsenic and zinc are 
excreted in the milk. Nursing mothers must be careful 
about taking drugs. Diet must be adapted to secure good 
digestion, and constipation must be avoided by proper 
regulation of diet, which should be done according to the 
rules heretofore laid down. Menstruation during nursing 
is likely to change the mother's milk, and make it neces- 
sary to feed the child in some other way. At weaning, 
the mother should eat a dry diet, and drink as little as pos- 
sible, to keep in health." 



CHAPTER XXI. 

DIETETIC ERRORS AND DIETARIES. 

"Doctor in discussing digestion and foods you have 
frequently spoken of dietetic errors. Would it not be a 
good idea to enumerate them?" 

"Perhaps so, but one scarcely knows what to give 
the greatest prominence. For convenience, I will begin 
with one of the most general faults, and enumerate them 
as follows: 

1 — Overeating. 

2 — Eating fried foods. 

3 — Drinking an excess of fluids during meals. 

4 — Drinking cold drinks at meals or during digestion. 

5 — Drinking an excess of liquids, especially beer, or 
ice water. 

6 — Excessive use of strong tea or strong coffee. 

7 — Haste in eating, resulting in imperfect mastication, 
and the insufficient admixture of saliva with the food. 

8 — Excessive meat eating, including wild game. 

9 — Excessive sugar eating. 

10 — Eating doughy bread, pancakes arid pastry. 

11 — Eating vegetables hastily, without chopping the 
fibres. 

12 — Eating tough, raw vegetables. 

13 — Irritating foods, pungent vegetables, pepper, salt, 
mustard, and other irritating substances. 

14 — Taking foods and drinks excessively hot. 

15 — Pickles and vinegar. 

16 — The admixture of starches and acids. 

17 — Incompatible foods such as strong tea, and eggs, 
acids or vinegar and milk, tea, cheese and acids. 

257 



258 DIETETIC ERRORS 

18 — Eating fruits with seeds or skins, especially black- 
berries, raspberries, grapes, currants, gooseberries, raisins 
and cranberries. 

19 — Eating green and overripe fruits. 

20 — Excessive cooking of meat. 

21 — Insufficient cooking of starches. 

22 — Excessive consumption of fats. 

23 — Eating too little food. 

24 — Eating food containing too little waste such as: 
milk, eggs, white bread, potatoes, butter, sugar, meat. 

25 — Eating food containing too coarse waste, such as 
green, dried or canned corn, and the tough skins of peas 
and beans. 

26 — Excessive consumption of starch, such as a diet of 
white* bread and potatoes. 

27 — Diet deficient in mineral matter. 

28 — Eating an excessive quantity of sour fruits. 

29 — Foods containing Ptomaines from decay. 

30 — Eating too many kinds of food at the same meal. 

31 — Eating too frequently, and not allowing the 
stomach time to empty itself. 

32 — Irregularity of eating. 

33 — Going too long without eating. 

"Most of these have been discussed, and those that have 
not, will be treated at greater length under causes of in- 
digestion." 

"Doctor, who requires the most food?" 

"Growing boys sixteen or seventeen years old, who do 
the hard physical labor of mature men." 

"What do you call hard labor?" 

"Harvesting, clearing land, chopping cord wood, dig- 
ging ditches, brick and stone masonry, plastering, hand- 
ling freight and Heavy material in foundries, factories and 



FOOD REQUIRED 259 

mills, and other labor requiring great activity and use of 
strength.* 

"How are the needs of the different classes estimated?" 

"You will remember that focds are divided into two 
general classes: Tissue-forming and heat-producing. 
The variation of amount of food needed is mainly of the 
latter class, and is estimated by units of heat called calories 
or rather by kilogram degree calories." 

"What do you mean by calories?" 

"Foods have been tested for their heat or force-pro- 
ducing power, by scientific methods, and the term calorie 
is the unit measure of heat produced. Now one thousand 
calories make one kilogram degree calorie, which is 
ordinarily understood when the term calorie is used." 

"Then the heat and force producing value of food is 
estimated according to the amount of work or exertion it 
sustains measured in calories." 

"Yes that is it. Fats are the greatest heat producers, 
and butter produces 220 calories to the ounce, and toma- 
toes only five. Next to fats sugar and starch produce 
the highest calories — flour producing 103, and sugar 113 
calories to the ounce." 

"What should the diet contain?" 

"Our daily diet should contain three to six ounces of 
protein, and heat-producing material to make from two 
thousand five hundred to 5,000 calories (exceptional cases 
may require more than 5000 or less than 2500), mineral 
matter, and some waste — a large amount for the sedentary 
and constipated." 

? 'I see the value of this. One could not eat enough cab- 
bage or tomatoes to produce one-fourth enough calories 
for a hard day's labor." 

"That is true, and here is where the vegetarian diet has 
failed, when relied on for hard labor, because it made 



260 DIET FOR THE AGED 

too much bulk to produce the calories necessary. But- 
ter, ground nuts or meats, must be added to a vegetable 
diet to raise the calories without making too great bulk. 

"Old age is almost synonymous with physical discom- 
fort and disease, as if it were not enough to see the light 
of life fading away, nature is inclined to inflict all the over- 
due penalties for the transgressions on her for the entire 
life. But the aged are not without hope, for such illus- 
trious examples as Gladstone and others clearly show 
human possibilities. Those who are too thin to cast a 
shadow, can scout the idea that they will "dry up and 
blow away," likewise the fat rheumatic and gouty, can dis- 
prove that excessive fat is but another name for folly. 
The digestive organs are often the first to weaken, and 
with poor blood, the system is well-nigh defenseless 
against disease. Those who have been large eaters, 
usually continue so., notwithstanding the lessened de- 
mands of the system. This may overcrowd the blood 
vessels, which their weakening walls will not stand, and 
apoplexy is the result. The most common fault in the 
dietetic habits of the aged, is eating an excess of sugar and 
meat. This clogs the system with nitrogenous waste, and 
causes rheumatism, which is well nigh universal among 
the aged well-to-do. Those who would be free from 
disease, must bear in mind the lessened needs of the 
system that follow from a less active life, common to old 
age, and that it becomes less and less able to dispose of 
any excess of food. They must also bear in mind that 
besides the weakness, incident to advancing years, diges- 
tion is also weakened by general inactivity of the body. 
WHAT NOT TO EAT. 

Fried meat, nor fried foods of any kind. Fresh bread, 
as ordinarily made, hot bread, saturated with butter or 
gravy, hot biscuit, cakes of every kind, pies with short- 



DIET FOR THE AGED 261 

ened pie crust, pickles, vinegar, sour kraut, salt meats, 
sausages, salt fish, dried meats, raw onions, raw vegetables, 
strong tea and coffee. 

Foods that may be sparingly (occasionally) used: 

Sugar, molasses, syrup, honey, boiled ham, breakfast 
Vacon, sweet potatoes, cabbage boiled without fat, rhu- 
barb, if no rheumatism or disease of digestive organs, 
astringent fruits, such as cranberries and raspberries. 
SUITABLE DIET. 

Stale or dry light bread, wheat foods according to 
taste and condition, but particularly gluten biscuit, or 
gluten meal, rolled oats, pearl barley, rice, hominy of all 
kinds, eggs, milk, cream, butter, fresh fish, fresh beef, 
mutton and fowl, but not oftener than once a day; puree 
made of peas, beans or potatoes, stewed celery, string 
beans, cauliflower, asparagus, cooked onions, beets with- 
out vinegar; all fruits, except astringent ones, such as rasp- 
berries, blackberries and some varieties of pears; quinces. 

If old people want to avoid rheumatism, they must 
avoid eating much meat. They must also be careful 
about eating fatty foods and sugar, as such a diet will be 
too fattening, and throw the diet out of balance. For 
those not engaged in hard labor, two meals a day is all 
that is permissible. These should be at eight or nine in 
the morning, and three or four in the afternoon, but 
should be regular. Nothing must be eaten between 
meals. If food be needed at night before bed time, a cup 
of hot milk or a baked apple may be eaten, and will often 
cure sleeplessness. Tea and coffee are bad for all ages, 
but particularly so for the aged. 

DIET FOR BICYCLISTS AND ATHLETES. 

"Athletes desire the greatest strength and endurance, 
with activity developed in the highest degree. To this end 
mucles are developed, fat and water reduced." 



262 DIET FOR ATHLETES 

"How is this accomplished ?" 

"By a diet rich in nitrogen and poor in fat and starch, 
aided by systematic exercise, massage and baths." 

"As I understand it, the bulk of an athlete's diet in train- 
ing, is meat?" 

"Yes, and if you will notice contests, you will observe 
that it frequently happens that some one breaks down." 

"In the haste to reduce fat, so little water is given, with 
a diet so rich in nitrogen, as meat is, the kidneys are over- 
burdened, and there is auto-intoxication." 

"Then the meat diet is carried to far?" 

"Yes, soft cooked eggs and milk are better than all meat, 
and dry gluten biscuit, without sugar is still better. If 
good, fresh gluten biscuit are not easily obtained, bread 
made of wheat flour, or middlings may be washed in cold 
water until the starch is dissolved, and the remaining 
gluten may then be baked or cooked as desired." 

"What is the advantage of wheat gluten ?" 

"It serves about all the purposes of meat, without the 
danger from uric acid, which meat produces." 

"Would you allow bread?" 

"Yes. Entire wheat bread, because it contains more 
gluten, or, what is still better, dry crackers made of entire 
wheat flour without sugar. These are an aid towards 
maintaining a dry diet and are better than toast. - Coarse 
vegetables must not be used, as there will not be constipa- 
tion with the necessary exercise, massage and baths in- 
cident to training. An orange or half lemon may be 
occasionally eaten a half hour before meals." 

"Then athletes must not eat vegetables?" 

"In very limited quantities, if at all. If there be a ten- 
dency to constipation, there should be an increased allow- 
ance of such foods as granose or cereals with .fine bran. 
Amateurs who have no such aid as massage and baths 



DIET FOR ATHLETES 263 

need more coarse food, and should eat any of the cereals 
prepared by boiling and roasting." 

"You haven't given a complete diet list?" 
Stale bread — small quantity; dry toast; beaten wheat 
crackers; biscuit without sugar or shortening; granose, 
dry; bromose; beef steak without fat or butter, or roast 
beef when cooked by basting in dough; eggs soft, without 
fat; must not be fried; fresh fish; beans and peas; nut 
meal; cream; butter; nut butter. 

HEAT OR FORCE PRODUCING FOOD. 

QUANTITY REQUIRED FOR ONE DAY. 

Light Work. Moderate Work. Hard Labor. 



Wheat Flour 


28 oz. 


36 oz. 


45 oz. 


White bread 


38 oz. 


48 oz. 


60 oz. 


Corn meal 


28 oz. 


36 oz. 


45 oz. 


Oatmeal 


24 oz. 


30 oz. 


38 oz. 


Lard 


10 oz. 


13 oz. 


17 oz. 


Rice 


28 oz. 


36 oz. 


45 oz. 


Rye 


28 oz. 


36 oz. 


45 oz. 


Sugar 


28 oz. 


36 oz. 


45 oz. 


Barley 


28 oz. 


36 oz. 


45 oz. 


Buckwheat 


30 oz. 


38 oz. 


48 oz. 


Beans 


28 oz. 


36 oz. 


45 oz. 


Peas 


28 oz. 


36 oz. 


45 oz. 


Butter 


12 oz. 


16 oz. 


17 oz. 


Eggs 


56 oz. 


76 oz. 


96 oz. 


Beef 


64 oz. 


88 oz. 


7 pounds. 


Potatoos 


7 pounds 


9 pounds 


12 " 


Sweet potatoes 


4-5 " 


6 " 


8 " 


Cabbage 


15 " 


20 « 


27 " 


Cauliflower 


14 " 


19 " 


26 " 


Beets 


12 " 


16 " 


21 " 


Carrots 


15 " 


16 " 


21 •« 



264 



FORCE VALUE OF FOOD 



Turnips 


18 


rounds 24 


Tomatoes 


25 


34 


Celery 


30 


40 


Onions . 


12 


16 


Radishes 


23 


32 


Cucumbers 


40 


55 


Asparagus 


23 


32 


Milk 


8 


11 


Skim milk 


12 


16 


Apples 


7 


10 



•unds 32 pounds 
45 
52 
21 
42 
75 
42 
14 
21 
13 

As all the nutriment, shown by chemical analysis, can 
never be extracted, this table does not accurately indicate 
the amount of food required. 

Eggs and milk contain the least indigestible matter, 
while in such foods as cucumbers or pickles it is doubtful 
if more than half or three-fourths of the nutriment as 
shown by chemical analysis, is really available for the 
system. The preceding table is intended to point out 
the deficiencies of foods as heat or force-producers, and 
the succeeding one the defects of foods as tissue builders. 
Table showing the amount of heat per ounce of the 
principal foods, and number of ounces of each food from 
which one ounce of protein can be extracted. 
NUTRIMENT IN FOODS 



FOODS. 
MEATS. 

Chuck 
Ribs, lean 
Ribs, fat 
Round steak 
Canned beef 
Dried beef 
Veal 



Calories per oz. 

47 
54 
96 
58 
88 
60 
50 



Quantity of food from which' 

one oz. of protein can 

be extracted. 



5 OZ. 

5.2 oz. 
5.7 oz. 
5.1 oz. 
4.1 oz. 
2.5 oz. 
5 oz. 



NUTRIMENT OF FOODS 265 



Lamb 


95 


5.7 oz. 


Pork, shoulders 


118 


7.6 oz. 


Ham 


121 


6.2 oz. 


Salt pork, fat 


250 


12.2 oz. 


Pigs' feet 


56 


6.2 oz. 


Chicken 


31 


4.4 oz. 


Turkey 


84 


4.8 oz. 


Fish 


28 


4.9 oz. 


Salmon 


58 


4.8 oz. 


Oysters 


15 


16 oz. 


Eggs, white 




8.5 oz. 


" yolk 




6.6 oz. 


" average 


45 


7 oz. 


Milk 


20 


30 oz. 


Milk skimmed 


11 


30 oz. 


Condensed milk 


89 


12.1 oz. 


Cream 


57 


40 oz. 


Cheese (whole) 


123 


3.9 oz. 


Skim milk 


82 


3.2 oz. 


Gelatine 


96 


1.2 oz. 


Lard 


264 


all fat 


Butter 


217 


all fat 


Oleomargarine 


220 


78 oz. 


Entire wheat 


104 


7 oz. 


Common flour 


104 


9 oz. 


Macaroni 


102 


8.5 oz. 


Barley (pearl) 


104 


11 oz. 


Buck wheat flour 


99 


13 oz. 


Corn meal bolted 


103 


11 oz. 


Hominy 


103 


13 oz. 


Pop corn 


117 


11 oz. 


Rolled oats 


116 


6 oz. 


Rice 


102 


13 oz. 



266 NUTRIMENT OF FOODS 



Boiled rice 


56 


20 oz. 


Rye flour 


102 


14 oz. 


White bread, dry 75 


11 oz. 


Soda crackers 


119 


10 oz. 


Gluten 


24 


1.2 oz. 


Apple pie 


79 


30 oz. 


Tapioca pudding 


49 


28 oz. 


Beans 


99 


4.5 oz. 


Beans, string 


12 


45 oz. 


Asparagus 


7 


55 oz. 


Beets 


13 


90 oz. 


Cabbage 


10 


48 oz. 


Ca'uliflower 


11 


60 oz. 


Celery 


5 


71 oz. 


Green corn 


22 


36 oz. 


Greens 


17 


27 oz. 


Lettuce 


7 


75 oz. 


Onions 


15 


60 oz. 


Peas 


102 


4.1 oz. 


Green peas 


25 


22 oz. 


Cucumbers 


4 


125 oz. 


Potato, boiled 


30 


37 oz. 


Sour Kraut 


9 


67 oz. 


Tomatoes 


12 


71 oz. 


Sugar 


116 




FRUITS. 






Apples 


21 


200 oz. 


Bananas 


30 


83 oz. 


Grapes 


20 


100 oz. 


Oranges 


14 


125 oz. 


Strawberries 


11 


100 oz. 


Rasins 


102 


40 oz. 


Figs, dried 


87 


19.5 oz. 



NUTRIMENT OF FOODS 



267 



Dates, dried 


97 


45 oz 


Chestnuts 


71 


15 oz 


Peanuts 


160 


4 oz 



4 oz. 

i 

bread < 

equals: 



4 oz. 
beef 
equals: 

4 oz. fat 
beef equals 



4 OZ. 

boiled 
rice 



-I 



4 oz. boiled 
rice, 1-2 oz. 
sugar and 
2 oz. milk: 



APPROXIMATE FOOD EQUIVALENTS. 

4 oz. boiled rice and 1J oz. round steak, 

or 1 oz. chicken, 4 oz. potatoes, 1J oz. butter. 

or 3 oz. corn bread, 9 oz. cabbage, 

or 6 oz. boiled potatoes. 6 oz. milk, 

or 6 oz. " " 1 oz. steak and loz. sugar, 

or 4J oz, cooked rolled oats, 

or 4 oz. boiled hominy and 4 oz. milk, 

or 2 oz. egg, 4 oz. potato, 2 oz. tapioca pudding, 

or 4 oz. potato, 4 oz, green corn, 4 oz. lettuce, 

or 4 oz. boiled onion and 4 oz. cucumber, 

or 1 oz. ham, 3 oz. rice, 2 oz. skimmed milk, 

or 10 oz. milk and 2 oz. cream, 

or 2 oz. eggs, 10 oz. apples, 

or 2 oz. bread and 12 oz. skimmed milk. 

22 oz. skimmed milk, 

or 2 oz. beans raw or 4 oz. cooked, & oz. gluten, 

or 1J oz. peanuts and 5 oz. skimmed milk. 

3 oz, peanuts. 

7 oz. boiled potato, 

or 4 oz. green peas and 6 oz. apples, 

or 8 oz. cabbage, J oz. bacou, 

or 3i oz. cooked rolled oats, 

or li oz. egg, § oz. butter, 

or 1 oz. steak, § oz. butter, [bacon. 

or 6 oz. onions, 6 oz. sour krout, $ oz. lard or 

2 oz. egg and 1 oz. butter, or 1 oz. pork 
shoulder and 7 oz. potato. 



268 



NUTRIMENT OF FOODS 



2 OZ. 

milk. 

4 oz. 
rolled 
oats, 
(8oz. 
cooked ) 



4 oz. 
peanuts 



4 oz. 
beans. 



4 oz. 

eggs. 



1 oz. gluten, 
1 oz. butter 



4 OZ. 

chicken 



4 oz. 
potato. 



r 4 oz. ham, 
or 3 oz. lean beef, 4 oz. potato,3-5 oz. butter, 
or 23 oz, whole milk, 
or 4 oz. cooked beans, 7 oz. potatoes, 
or 20 oz. skimmed milk, 1 oz. bacon, 
or 3 oz egg, 3 oz. bread, J oz. butter, 
or 2f peanuts and 1 oz. potatoes. 

5 oz. round steak and 1J oz. fat bacon, 

or 28 oz, whole milk, 

or 4 oz. chicken, 6 oz. potato, 2 oz. bacon, 

or 5 oz, fish and 2 oz, fat pork, 

or 7 oz. eggs, 1 oz. butter and 3 oz. cabbage, 

or 4 oz. beans, 4 oz. boiled rice. 

4 oz. beef, 3 oz. pototoes, J oz. butter, 
or 5 oz. fat beef, 

^ or 3 oz. chicken, 3 oz. potatoes, 1 oz. butter, 
or 6 oz. eggs, 2 oz. cream, 
or 4 oz, bread, 2 oz. fish and 1 oz. cream. 

f 17 oz. skimmed miik, 
or 2 oz. lean beef and 2 oz. potatoes, 
or 2 oz. fish and 4 oz. potatoes, 
or 3-5 oz, gluten and 1 oz. oat meal. 

5 oz. medium fat beef steak. 

1J oz. gluten, 
or 1J oz. gelatine, 
or 4 J oz. fish, 

4 oz. banana, 

or 1J oz. raisins, 

or 4 oz. apples and 2 oz. skimmed milk, 

or 1 oz. green peas and 5 oz. grapes. 



GENERAL DIETARIES 269 

Those foods that are rich in protein, but have but little 
starch or fat have but few equivalents. The principal 
foods of this class are chicken, fish, gelatine and gluten. 

It will be well to remember that no foods have perfect 
equivalents ; that each food contains more or less mineral 
matter peculiar to itself; also that protein, starch, fat 
and sugar are not perfect substitutes for each other. The 
same foods vary in their composition, so that the propor- 
tions that would ordinarily be equivalents, are not always 
the same. 

It must not be assumed that knowledge of the com- 
parative value of foods is of no benefit, for the needs of 
the human system, come within certain limits, and it is 
of greatest importance that all persons select their foods 
to meet their particular needs, and we should be well 
enough informed to do this, without any special effort, 
just as a person should be able to speak grammatically, 
without stopping to consider all the rules of syntax. 

Appetite is seldom, if ever, a reliable guide, though it 
may have been so several thousand years ago. 

The cheapest food on which one can live, in most por- 
tions of the United States, is corn. It does not furnish 
a perfect food, but one can live on it for months, perhaps 
many years. 

Ten to 16 oz. of corn makes the cheapest meal and 
the best cheap meal in the world. The cost would be 
from one half to three-fourths of a cent, and if perfectly 
cooked it is quite palatable. Ordinarily it is not half 
cooked, and to prepare it properly, it should be boiled 
until the grains will scarcely hold together (corn will re- 
quire from three to five hours), then dried and roasted 
until quite brown and dry. It may then be ground or 
eaten whole, but great care should be taken to masticate 



270 CHEAPEST DIET 

it thoroughly, although the boiling makes it dissolve very 
readily as compared with parched or pop corn. 

A little butter and salt improves its palatability. Wheat, 
oats rye, rice, and barley may be treated in the same 
manner* After parching they may be softened by a few 
moments' cooking, but it is best to eat them dry. There 
are no foods so wholesome and nutritious as well boiled 
and roasted cereals. 

ROASTED CEREALS. 

If the cereals were treated as described, and then re- 
duced to fine flour, all the phosphates and gluten would 
be saved without any objectionable bran, as the cooking 
and roasting makes it possible to reduce the tough bran to 
a palatable flour. Starch indigestion would almost be 
unknown, if dry parched flours were used, for the reason 
that dry foods cannot be swallowed without mastication 
and saliva. If people could be taught to use their saliva 
in their food, instead of trying to float cuspidors and cars, 
fewer people would be dyspeptic. 

The simplest and cheapest diet may be made of cereals 
or cereals and butter, or cereals and cream, cereals and 
nuts. A meal would require eight to twelve ounces of 
dry cereals, one ounce of fat and six or eight ounces of 
milk. The diet of the Americans is mainly bread, meat, 
potatoes. An average meal would probably contain about 

4 oz. bread give 
4 " meat " 
4 oz. potatoes 
1 oz. lard 
1 oz. butter 

1 oz. sugar 

2 oz. milk 
10 oz, coffee 

Total 



Oz. Protein. 


Calories 


.36 


300 


.73 


240 


.13 


120 




164 




217 




116 


.10 


40 


1.39 


1197 



DIETARIES 



271 



People who eat fried meat and gravies are likely to ex- 
ceed the above allowance of fat, so that the ordinary meal 
shows an excess of fat and sugar, but too little waste and 
too much fluid. 

The coarse garden vegetable and fruits are not impor- 
tant factors, in force or tissue production, but they are im- 
portant for other (purposes — filling, cleansing. The 
main part of our diet must consist of cereal foods, legumes, 
meats, fish, nuts, fats, starch, potato, sugar, milk and 
cream. A meat diet for three meals, moderate work, 
should be about as follows: 



BREAKFAST. Protein. 


Calories 


4 oz. entire wheat 






bread, stale 


.45 


300 


2 oz. lean meat 


.29 


120 


4 oz. cooked oatmeal 


.33 


232 


4 oz. whole milk 


.13 


80 


2 oz. cream 




114 


J oz. butter 




109 


J oz. sugar 




59 


4. c\7 r^rpal mffpp 






Total, 


L.20 


1014 


DINNER. Protein. 


Calories. 


6 oz. entire wheat bread 


.67 


450 


6 oz. potatoes 


.20 


180 


2 oz. fat meat, beef 


.37 


180 


4 oz. beans (cooked) 


.50 


240 


4 oz. coarse vegetables 


.10 


60 


1 oz. butter 




217 


4 oz. milk and hot water 


.07 


28 


Total, 


1.91 


1347 


SUPPER. Protein. 


Calories. 


4 oz. entire wheat bread 


.45 


300 


6 oz. cooked rice 


.47 


330 



272 




DIETARIES 






Protein. 


Calories. 


6 oz. 


whole milk 


.20 


120 


2 oz. 


ham, boiled 


.33 


242 


4 oz. 


sugar 




58 


i oz. 


butter 




109 



Total, 1.45 1159 

For those who do no physical work, and take but little 
exercise, the quantities should be reduced from fifteen to 
twenty-five per cent, while those doing hard labor will 
require 'from twenty to thirty per cent, more in heat-pro- 
ducing foods. The cereals should be slightly increased, 
but the main addition for hard labor must be in fat and 
sugaf. 

The dietary for the three meals is not an ideal one, but 
made to bring ordinary usage into Better harmony with 
physical needs. It would be better to make breakfast a 
larger meal than supper, but it is not the usual practice, 
so the diet list given is arranged accordingly. 

We would be doing less than our duty if we did not 
say that, ordinarily, for those who do no labor, meat 
should not be eaten but once a day, and by many people 
not at all. We submit the following as the best dietary for 
light labor, with meat once a day : 

BREAKFAST. Protein. Calories. 

5 oz. Granose .71 500 
3 oz. milk .13 80 

3 oz. powdered nuts, .75 480 

6 oz. baked apples .03 126 

4 oz. hot water or cereal coffee. 



Total, 1.62 1206 

DINNER. Protein. Calories. 

4 oz. entire wheat 

bread, dry .45 300 



DIETARIES 



273 



3 oz. roast chickon, 

4 oz. potato 

4 oz. string beans 

3 oz. hominy with 2 oz. 

cream 

4 oz. rice or tapioca 

pudding 
1 oz. butter 

4 oz. hot drink 

Total, 

SUPPER. 

5 oz. dry toast 
8 oz. milk 
4 oz. cauliflower 
i oz. butter 
4 oz. peaches 
J oz. sugar 
4 oz. hot drink. 

Total, 



Protein. 

.70 
.20 
.09 



Calories. 

93 

80 
48 



.25 165 



.18 



310 
217 



1.87 


1223 


Protein. 


Calories. 


.55 


450 


.26 


160 


.05 


44 




109 




58 



.87 821 



For those who eat light lunches at or near noon, the 
morning and evening meals will be larger, lunch taking 
the place of supper. 

It will be observed that the dietary here given, is con- 
siderably below what other writers allow for light work, 
but to those who are not traveling in ruts already made, 
it may be learned that the difference between light work 
and hard labor is much greater than usually allowed. 
The fault is that the allowance for light labor is too high, 
and that for hard labor too low. A laborer's meals may 
be patterned after the following: 

Protein. Calories. 

5 oz. dry bread ,55 375 

6 oz. cooked rolled oats .50 360 



DIETARIES 


Protein. 


Calories. 


.10 


90 


.40 


116 


.10 


276 


.20 


120 




217 




58 


.10 


52 



274 



3 oz. potatoes 
2 oz. lean meat 
2 oz, bacon 
6 oz. milk 
1 oz. butter 
J oz. sugar 

4 oz. cabbage 

Total, 1.95 1654 

One of the common errors for those who do hard work, 
is to eat too much coarse, watery foods and to drink too 
mucji fluid with their meals. This causes the stomach to 
be unduly distended, and it is frequently unable to prop- 
erly handle the great bulk. A moment's reflection will 
convince anyone that the stomach cannot have the same 
contractile power when its walls are stretched beyond 
what they should be, so that when there is large demand 
for force-producing foods, as in extremely hard labor, it 
is necessary to eat mostly dry food, and to increase the 
proportion of fat over that of ordinary diet. 

Each person's diet should be adapted to his or her par- 
ticular needs, and as many people thrive better without 
meat, it would be well for those to pattern their dietaries 
after the following: 

4 to 6 ozs. whole wheat bread, corn bread or dry bis- 
cuits. 

3 to 5 ozs. powdered nuts. 

6 to 8 ozs. milk, 

1/2 oz. butter. 

6 ozs. baked apples or other sweet fruit. 

Milk, eggs, wheat gluten, peas, beans and nuts, must be 
relied on to furnish tissue food. For fats, nut meal, nut 
butter, cream and butter are to be preferred to meat fats. 



DIETARIES 275 

The cost of butter and cream is against their exclusive use 
for many people, but it is probable that peanuts will be 
as cheap as any other food. It is mainly a question of 
grinding or preparing them. 

The addition of fruits and green vegetables makes no 
great difference in the amount of other foods required. 
In eating green vegetables that contain a large amount of 
fiber, regard must be had for its effect on the digestion 
of other food. If not very thoroughly cooked without fat, 
then chopped fine and well masticated, such food may 
remain in the stomach for several hours, until decay sets 
in. 

In concluding the subject of dietaries, the authors 
would have their readers bear in mind that it is not a 
subject that can be dealt with exactly as a question of 
arithmetic. Each person must study his or her require- 
ments in connection with the general properties of foods. 
Overeating can he prevented by taking what food is 
needed at one meal on the dishes, and then quit when it is 
eaten. Do not make a fad of diet, for a large per cent, 
of the common ailments exist only in the mind. Keep 
dyspepsia, and all thought of it out of mind, and use some 
common sense to regulate your diet and habits, and all 
will be well. 



CHAPTER XXII. 
FOOD ANALYSES. 

The tables of food analysis here given are made up 
from many analyses, from many sources, but mainly from 
the Agricultural Department of the United States: 

The percentages given are exclusive of waste and refuse. 

BEEF. Water. Protein. Fat. Car- Ash. Calories 

bouytrate per oz. 

Brisket (med. fat) 47.4 14.6 37.2 .08 115 

Chuck (lean) 71.2 19.9 7.8 1.1 47 

(med. fat) 67.8 19 12.3 .09 44 

Chuck Ribs (lean) 66.2 18 14.8 1 60 

(med. fat) 57.3 17.4 24.4 .09 85 

Flank (lean) 66.3 17.7 13 .01 55 

(med. fat) 59.8 17.9 21.5 .08 77 

Loin (lean) 67 19 12.7 1 56 

(med. fat) 60.5 18.3 20.2 1 74 

Sirloin (lean) 68.5 19.8 10.7 1 51 

(med. fat) 62.1 19.7 17.2 1 68 

Neck (lean) 50.4 14.2 5.7 .07 31 

(med. fat) 45.9 13.9 11.9 .07 47 

Ribs (lean) 67.9 19.1 12 1 54 

(med. fat) 55.4 16.9 26.8 .09 96 

Round (lean) 70.3 20.9 7.7 1.1 45 

(med. fat) 65.8 19.7 13.5 1 58 

Shank (lean) 71.5 21.4 6.1 1 41 

(med. fat) 67.9 19.6 11.6 .09 53 

Heart 62.6 16 20.4 13 1 72 

Kidney 76.7 16.9 4.8 4 1.2 33 

Liver 66.9 23.1 5.7 3.5 1.5 42 

Marrow 3.3 2.6 92.8 1.3 248 

877 



278 COMPOSITION OF FOODS 



Sweetbreads 


70.9 


15.4 


12.1 


1.6 


50 


Tallow 


15 


4.8 


79.9 


.03 


216 


CANNED BEEF. 












Boiled 


51.8 


24.4 


22.5 


1.1 


88 


Corned, cooked 


51.2 


25.9 


18.9 


4 


80 


Dried 


45.3 


40.1 


6.1 


12.6 


60 


Tongue 


51.3 


21.5 


23.2 


4 


86 



It will be well ito bear in mind, the fuel value of meat 
depends mainly on the amount of fat it contains, but that 
the lean meat contains some fat not ordinarily visible, and 
that fat meat contains in addition to its visible layers ot 
fat, a great deal more invisible fat than lean meat. 

The per cent, of waste in the various cuts of meat is not 
given, because no one has made any record of how much 
can ordinarily be gotten out of what may be termed waste. 
The fore shank is forty per cent, bone and the hind shank 
fifty-five, while rib has about twenty-five per cent bone, 
loin thirteen per cent., and round steak about six per cent, 
bone. Fat meat is likely to be more tender than lean, but 
less economical, because beef fat is less desirable than 
many other fats. ' 



VEAL. 


Water. 


Protein. 


Fat. Car- Ash.Calories 
bohydrate per oz. 


Breast (lean) 


70.3 


20.7 


8 




45 


(med. fat) 


66.4 


18.8 


13.8 




58 


Flank (med. fat) 


68.9 


19.7 


10.4 




50 


Leg (average 


72.4 


20.6 


5.9 


1.1 


40 


Loin (average) 


69.2 


19.5 


10.2 


1.1 


50 


Rump 


62.6 


20.1 


16.2 


1.1 


66 


LAMB 












Breast 


S6.2 


19.2 


23.6 




85 


Loin 


53.1 


17.6 


28.3 




95. 


Shoulder 


51.8 


17.5 


29.7 




99 



COMPOSITION OF FOODS 279 



Chuck (med. fat) 


50.9 


14.6 


33.6 


.9 


106 


Flank (med. fat) 


45.8 


14.8 


38.7 


.7 


119 


Leg (med. fat) 


62.8 


18.2 


18 


1 


69 


Loin (med. fat) 


50.1 


15.9 


33.2 


.8 


106 


PORK 












Chuck ribs and 












shoulder 


51.1 


16.9 


31.2 


.9 


102 


Head 


45.3 


12.7 


41.3 


.7 


124 


Loin (average) 


50.5 


16,1 


32.5 


.9 


104 


Shoulder 


47.4 


13.2 


38.7 


.7 


118 


Tenderloin 


65.1 


19.5 


14.4 


1 


61 


Ham, fresh 


62.8 


18.5 


17.7 


1 


74 


Ham, smoked (av. 


)40.3 


16.5 


38.8 


4.7 


121 


Shoulder, fresh 


54.3 


15.5 


29.4 


.8 


94 


(California Ham 


) 










* " Shoulder 45 


15.8 


35.2 


6.7 


104 


Dry salt backs 


17.3 


7.2 


72.7 


2.8. 


200 


11 " belly 


17.7 


6.7 


72.2 


3.4 


196 


Salt pork clear fat 


12.2 


4.5 


78.8 


4.5 


250 


Tongue 


58.6 


18 


19.8 


3.6 


73 


Feet 


68.2 


16.1 


14.8 


.9 


58 


Bacon, lean 


32.7 


16.4 


45.2 


5.7 


136 


Bacon, fat 


18.2 


10 


67.2 


4.8 


189 


SAUSAGE. 












Pork sausage 


38.7 


12.8 


46,6 


1.8 


136 


Bologna " 


59.5 


18.6 


18.2 


2.6 


70 


Frankfort 


55.5 


21.7 


18.8 


3.6 


71 


POULTRY. 












Chicken 


74.2 


22.8 


1.8 


1.2 


31 


Goose 


42.3 


13 


43.9 


.8 


131 


Turkey 


55.5 


20.6 


22.9 


1 


84 


FISH. 












Black bass 


76.7 


20.4 


1.7 


1.2 


28 


Buffalo 


78.6 


17.9 


2.3 


1.2 


27 



280 COMPOSITION OF FOODS 



Perch 


75.7 


19.1 


4 


1.2 


23 


Wall eyed pike 


79.7 


18.4 


.5 


1.4 


23 


Pickerel 


79.8 


18.6 


,5 


1.1 


27 


Red snapper 


78.5 


19.2 


1 


1.3 


25 


Salmon 


65.2 


20.6 


12.8 


1.4 


58 


Shad 


70.6 


18.6 


9.5 


1.3 


43 


Sheepshead 


75.6 


19.5 


3.7 


1.2 


32 


Trout 


77.8 


18.9 


2.1 


1.2 


21 


Whitefish 


69.8 


22.1 


6.5 


1.6 


43 


Cod 


82.6 


15.8 


.4 


1.2 


19 


Eels, salt water 


71.6 


18.3 


9.1 


1 


45 


Flounder 


84.2 


13.9 


.6 


1.3 


18 


Herring 


72.5 


18.9 


7-1 


1.5 


41 


Mackerel 


73.4 


18.2 


7-1 


1.3 


40 


SHELL FISH. 












Clams 


85.8 


8.6 


1 


2 % 6 


15 


Crabs, hard 


77.1 


16.6 


2 


3.1 


26 


Lobster 


79.2 


16.4 


1.8 


2.2 


22 


Oyster, as sold 


88.3 


6.1 


1.4 


1 


15 


Terrapin 


74.5 


21 


3.5 


1 


34 


Turtle 


79.8 


18.5 


.5 


.3 


25 


Shrimps, canned 


70.8 


25.4 


1 


2.6 


32 



The viscera of animals does not greatly vary in compo- 
sition from that of the animal from which it is taken. 

Canned or preserved meats only vary as water and salt 
are added or extracted. 

The canned soups sold in the market contain from 
eighty-five to ninety-five per cent, water, and from two to 
five per cent, protein, and are not desirable from any 
dietetic standpoint. 



EGGS. 


Water. 


Protein. 


Fat. 


Calories. 


White 


84.8 


12 


2 




Yolk 


51.5 


15 


30 




Average 


73.5 


14.9 


10.6 


45 



COMPOSITION OF FOODS 



281 



The shells of eggs average about ten. 


per cent oi 


: total 


weight. 












MILK. 


Water. Protein 


i Fat. 

] 


Carbo- Ash. Calories 
lydrate. 


Milk, Average 


87 3.3 


4 


5 


.7 


20 


Skimmed, average 


90.5 3.4 


.3 


5.1 


.7 


11 


Buttermilk 


91 3 


.5 


4.8 


.7 


10 


Condensed milk 


30.5 8.2 


7.1 


52.3 


1.9 


89 


Cream 


74 2.5 


18.5 


4.5 


.5 


57 


Butter 


14.6 1 


82.4 






217 


CHEESE. 












Cheese, whole milk 


33.7 26 


34.2 


2.3 


3.8 


123 


" skim milk 


45.7 31.5 


16.4 


2.2 


4.2 


82 


Pineapple cheese 


23 29.9 


38.9 


2.6 


5.6 


140 


Limburger " 


42.1 24 


29.4 


A 


4.1 


105 


Gelatine 


13.6 84.2 


.1 




2.1 


98 


Isinglass, Sturgeon 


19 77.4 


1.6 




2 


94 


Tallow 




100 






264 


Lard, refined 




100 






264 


Cottolene 




100 






264 


Oleomargarine 


9.3 1.3 


82.7 




6.7 


220 


CEREALS. 


Water. Protein Fat. 


Carbo- 
hydrate. 


Ash. I 


2alorie6 


Flour, fine 


13.8 7.9 


1.4 


76.4 


.5 


102 


Entire wheat flour 


12.1 14.2 


1.9 


7O.6 


1.2 


104 


Graham 


11.8 13.7 


2.2 


70.1 


2 


104 


Low grade flour 


11.4 13.9 


2.6 


7O.8 


1.3 


105 


Spring wheat 


11.6 11.8 


1.1 


75 


.5 


104 


Winter wheat 


12.5 10.4 


1 


75 


.5 


104 


Crushed wheat 


10.5 11.9 


1.7 


7 4 


1.4 


105 


Macaroni Vermicelli 


10.8 11.7 


1.7 


72.9 


3 


102 


Barley meal 


11.9 10.5 


2.2 


72.8 


2.6 


102 


Pearl barley 


10.8 9.3 


1 


776 


1.3 


104 


Buckwheat flour 


14.3 6.1 


1 


77.Z 


1.4 


99 


Corn meal, bolted 


15 9.2 


3.8 


7O.6 


1 


103 



.6 


78.9 


.4 


103 


5.6 


71.4 


1.4 


109 


.5 


70.7 


1.3 


117 


7.3 


68 


1.9 


116 


7.2 


66.8 


1.9 


116 


.4 


79 


.4 


102 


.1 


49.1 


.3 


55 


.9 


78.5 


.8 


102 



282 COMPOSITION OF FOODS 

Hominy 11.9 8.2 

Pop corn 10.8 12.3 

Pop corn, popped 4.3 10.7 

Oat meal 7.2 15.6 

Rolled oats 11.2 16.7 

Rice 12.4 7.8 

Boiled rice 52.7 5 

Rye flour 12.7 7.1 

Reported analysis of Southern corn shows a very high 
per cent, of protein — so high in fact, and so different from 
the authors, that we refrain from publishing any analysis 
until we have more convincing data. 

We regret that we have not more accurate knowledge 
as to the per cent, of cellulose or indigestible part of the 
various cereal foods. It appears that fine white flour has 
less than one per cent, of cellulose; rice about three per 
cent.; oat meal four per cent; and corn meal five per 
cent.; and that the entire grain of wheat, rye and corn 
contains a still larger per cent, of cellulose. 



CEREALS. 


Water. Protein 


. Fat. 


Carbo- 
hydrate 


Ash. ( 


Calorie 


White bread 


35.4 9.5 


1.2 


52.8 


1.1 


75 


Graham 


32.3 8.5 


1.8 


55.9 


1.5 


80 


Rye 


31.8 10.1 


.7 


55.9 


1.5 


76 


Biscuit 


22.9 9.3 


13.7 


1.5 




108 


Coffee Cake 


30.1 8.6 


6.6 


58.9 


.8 


90 


Drop " 


16.6 7.6 


14.7 


60.3 


.8 


117 


Sponge " 


11.6 6.5 


9.6 


70.3 


2 


114 


Butter crackers 


6.9 9.2 


13.6 


69.4 


.9 


127 


Graham " 


5 9.8 


13.6 


69.7 


1.9 


128 


Oat meal " 


4.9 10.4 


13.7 


69.6 


1.4 


129 


Oyster " 


4.3 11. 


8.8 


74.2 


1.7 


122 


Soda " 


8. 10.3 


9.4 


70.5 


1.8 


119 


Doughnuts 


17.9 6.6 


21.9 


52.6 


1. 


126 



COMPOSITION OF FOODS 283 

Apple pie 43.2 3.3 9.8 41.7 2. 78 

Custard 62.4 4.2 6.3 26.1 1. 52 

Tapioca pudding 61.8 3.6 3.7 30. .9 49 

It will be well to remember that the composition of 
bread, crackers and pastry vary greatly, according to the 
amount of butter, lard, sugar, eggs, milk and other in- 
gredients that may be added. 

VEGETABLES. 



Artichokes 


79.5 


2.6 


.2 


16.7 


1. 


23 


Asparagus 


94. 


1.8 


.2 


3.3 


.7 


7 


Beans, dried 


13.2 


22.3 


1.8 


59.1 


3.6 


99 


" Lima 


11.1 


15.9 


1.8 


67. 


4.1 


101 


" string 


87.3 


2.2 


.4 


9.4 


.7 


13 


Beets 


87.6 


1.1 


.1 


9.6 


1.1 


13 


Cabbage 


90.3 


2.1 


.4 


5.8 


1.4 


10 


Carrots 


88.2 


1.1 


.4 


9.2 


1.1 


13 


Cauliflower 


90.8 


1.6 


.8 


6. 


.8 


11 


Celery 


94.4 


1.4 


.1 


3. 


1.1 


5 


Green corn 


81.3 


2.8 


1.1 


14.1 


.7 


22 


Cucumber 


96. 


.8 


.2 


2.5 


.5 


4 


Egg plant 


92.9 


1.2 


.3 


5. 


.5 


8 


Greens 


82.9 


3.8 


.9 


8.9 


3.5 


17 


Kohlrabi 


91.1 


2. 


.1 


5.5 


1.3 


9 


Leeks 


91.8 


1.2 


.5 


5.8 


.7 


9 


Lentiles 


10.7 


26. 


1.5 


58.6 


3.2 


102 


Lettuce 


94. 


1.3 


.4 


3.3 


1. 


7 


Okra 


87.4 


2. 


.4 


9.5 


.7 


14 


Onions 


87.3 


1.7 


.4 


9.9 


.7 


15 


Parsnips 


79.9 


1.7 


.6 


16.1 


1.7 


22 


Peas 


10.8 24.1 


1.1 


61.5 


2.2 


102 


Peas, green 


78.1 


4.4 


.5 


16.1 


.9 


25 


Pickles 


89. 


.5 


.5 


5.4 


4.6 


8 


Potatoes, boiled 


73.7 


2.7 


.2 


22.3 


1.4 


30 



78.9 


2.1 


.1 


18. 


.9 


24 


69.3 


1.8 


.7 


27.1 


1.1 


35 


93.1 


1. 


.1 


5.2 


.6 




90.8 


1.4 


.1 


6.6 


1.1 


10 


94.4 


.6 


./ 


3.6 


.7 


7 


88.7 


1.3 


.2 


8.5 


1.1 


12 


86.3 


1.5 


.8 


4.4 


7. 


9 


92.4 


2.1 


c 


3.1 


1.9 


7 


86,5 


1.6 


.6 


10.4 


.9 


15 


94.4 


.8 


.4 


3.9 


.5 


7 


88.9 


1.4 


.2 


8.7 


.8 


12 



284 COMPOSITION OF FRUIT 

Potatoes, raw 

" sweet 
Pumpkins 
Radishes 
Rhubarb 
Ruta-bagas 
Sour krout 
Spinach 
Squash 
Tomatoes 
Turnips 

Beets, potatoes, cucumbers lose from 15 to 20$ in peel- 
ing. 

Turnips, radishes, ruta-bagas lose 30$ in peeling. 

Rhubarb, 40$. In peas and beans 50$ loss in pods. 

These tables do not clearly indicate the food value of 
the various vegetables. It would appear that pickles have 
one-fifth the food value of potatoes^ while in fact the 
nutriment in them is not readily available, and they have 
practically no food value at all, as they are not sufficiently 
soluble to be of use for waste. Nearly all the green 
vegetables, with the exception of potatoes, have a large 
amount of indigestible fiber, but experiments have not 
been sufficiently extensive to give reliable percentages as 
to how much indigestible waste the various vegetables 
contain, but it may be assumed that celery contains from 
two to three per cent; turnips and onions, exclusive of peel, 
two per cent; cabbage and beets, three per cent; carrots 
and artichokes, four per cent.; green and string beans, 
four to five per cent. 

The husk or bran (not pods) of peas and beans amount 
to about five per cent, and correspond to the bran envelope 
of wheat, but as the legumes are from ten to twenty times 



COMPOSITION OF FRUIT 285 

as rich as most of the green vegetables, the indigestible 
part is relatively small. 



FRUIT. 


Water. 


Protein. 


Fat. 


Carbo- 


Acid Ash. Calories 










hydrate. 








Apples 


82. 


.5 


.5 


16.6 


1.2 


.4 


21 


Apricots 


83. 


1.1 




13.4 


1.2 


.5 


17 


Bananas (yel.) 71.1 


1.2 


.8 


22.9 




1, 


30 


Black berries 


88.9 


.9 


2.1 


7.5 


1.2 


.6 


16 


Cherries 


86.1 


1.1 


.8 


11.4 


.9 


.6 


17 


Cranberries 


89. 


.5 


.7 


10.1 




.2 


14 


Currant 


84.7 


.5 




11. 


2.15 


.7 


17 


Figs 


79.1 


1.5 




17.4 


1.4 


.6 


24 


Grapes 


78.8 


1.3 


1.7 


16.2 


1. 


.5 


21 


Gooseberries 


86. 


.4 




4.6 


1.5 






Lemons 


89.3 


1. 


.9 


8.3 




.5 


13 


Muskmelons 


89.5 


.6 




4.6 




.6 


49 


Nectarines 


82.9 


.9 


.6 


15.9 




.6 


19 


Oranges 


88.3 


.8 


.6 


7. 


2.44 


.6 


14 


Peaches 


84.5 


.5 




14.2 


.9 


.8 


19 


Pears 


83.9 


.6 


.8 


14.2 


.2 


.5 


19 


Pine apples 


89.3 


.4 


.3 


9.7 




.3 


12 


Plums 


79. 


.5 




18.5 


1.50 


.5 


24 


Prunes 


80.2 


.8 




18.5 




.5 


22 


Raspberries 


85.8 


1. 




12.6 


1.38 


.6 


16 


Strawberries 


90.9 


1. 




6.8 


1.5 


.6 


11 


Watermelons 


92.9 


.3 


.1 


6.5 




.2 


8 


Whortleberries 


; 82.4 


.7 


3. 


13.5 




.4 


24 


DRIED FRUITS. 














Apples 


36.2 


1.4 


3.0 


57.6 




1.8 


78 


Apricots 


32.4 


2.9 




63,3 




1.4 


78 


Currants, Zante 27.9 


1.2 


3. 


65.7 




2.2 


86 


Dates 


20.8 


2.2 


5.1 


70.4 




1.5 


97 


Figs 


22.5 


5.1 




70. 




2.4 


87 


Grapes 


34.8 


2.9 


.6 


60.5 




1.2 


79 



286 COMPOSITION OF FRUIT 



Prunes 26.4 


2.4 


.8 


68.9 


1.5 


85 


Raisins 14. 


2.5 


4.7 


74.7 


4.1 


102 


NUTS. 












Chestnuts, fresh38. 5 


6.9 


8. 


44.9 


1.7 


71 


Peanuts 9.2 


25.8 


38.6 


24.4 


2. 


160 


Cocoanuts 46.6 


5.5 


35.7 


11. 


1. 


115 


Filberts, fresh 48. 


8.4 


28.5 


13.6 


1.5 




Walnuts 45.5 


12.5 


31.6 


9.9 


1.7 





The amount of sugar and acid varies greatly even in the 
same variety of fruit. The food value of fruits is mainly 
dependent upon the gum called pectose, and fruit sugar 
it contains. It is to be regretted that our present method 
of analyzing fruits, does not give satisfactory results as to 
the acids they contain. The very sour fruits, like the 
lemon and lime, have practically no food value for either 
fuel or tissue, but very great value for their acids. They 
must be regarded as cleansing agents. Most all fruits are 
more or less so. 



PART II. 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

IDIOSYNCRASIES. 

Idiosyncrasy is a peculiarity, in which one person is in 
some way affected in a different manner, under the same 
conditions, from ordinary people. It is applied to foods 
when there is a great dislike to some particular food, or 
where some particular food exerts an effect entirely for- 
eign to what ft usually produces. Idiosyncrasia is the 
term applied to peculiarities of smell. Both are closely 
related in their effects, and have not been given sufficient 
attention in their relation to health and disease. We are 
led to do so, because many people believe that individual 
peculiarities are so great that knowledge of food is of little 
or no use. If any of our readers take such a view, we 
have a troublesome question to ask: What makes the 
peculiarities? At first thought most people will say that 
they are "born that way;" but suppose we go farther and 
ask why people are born with idiosyncrasies? Do they 
come from some unknown realm , or are they transmitted 
characteristics? Here is the real key. Transmitted pe- 
culiarities were at some time acquired, - and every one 
knows that acquired peculiarities are mainly due to habits 
or education. Who can doubt that if an American child 
a few months old, was taken to the heart of China, and 
reared as a Chinaman, but what it would eat substantially 
the same foods as the Chinese? This fact has so often 
been illustrated by taking children from civilization to 

2S7 



288 IDIOSYNCRASIES 

barbarism, and barbarism to civilization, that it strongly 
tends to disprove the belief that people are "born that 
way." Take an illustration from the lower animals. A 
Texas cow or Texas pony that never saw corn will not 
eat it when first offered, but can easily be trained to do so. 
Idiosyncrasies are either mainly acquired by habit or 
are the heritage of ancestral habits. A small per cent, are 
doubtless due to some strong mental impressions made 
upon the individual or upon the mother while carrying her 
unborn child. A careful study of the subject leads us to 
beljeve that idiosyncrasies toward food might properly be 
divided into three classes: 

1. Those that are physiological. 

2. Those that are due to habit. 

3. Those that are due to mental impressions. 

It must not be understood that individuals always mani- 
fest either of these independent of the others; for doubtless 
many have peculiarities about what they eat, which may 
be due to either or all the causes mentioned. The physio- 
logical idiosyncrasies are due to inability to digest certain 
foods, so that, as a matter of fact, most idiosyncrasies of 
which we take notice, are not idiosyncrasies at all, but 
irregular physiological action. Upon this we predicate 
the declaration, that one food will agree with one person 
as well as with another person under the same conditions. 
This sweeps away the notion that people's peculiarities 
make it useless to study food. It really does more; it 
proves the great importance of such study, because when 
we know why foods disagree, and the properties of foods, 
we will know why they agree at one time and disagree 
at another. The stomach that secretes but little acid, will 
poorly tolerate large quantities of lean meat, and such a 
diet will produce a feeling of weight in the stomach en- 
tirely independent of any gaseous fermentation. Those 



IDIOSYNCRASIES 289 

who have an excess of acid will be distressed when they 
eat starchy foods, especially bread, potatoes, beans, etc. 
Such persons say they cannot live without meat, and when 
they do not have it they always feel hungry, for the rea- 
son that they cannot digest starch. This is the most seri- 
ous indigestion. Some physicians confound acid secretion 
with acid fermentation. Sour stomachs and heartburn are 
most common where the gastric secretions are weak and 
do not call for a meat diet, as many suppose, but an asep- 
tic (not readily fermentable) one. Lack of ability to digest 
certain foods, indicates physical abnormality. Examples 
might be multiplied wherein various foods agree or disa- 
gree, depending upon the needs of the system, the activity 
of the stomach, and the condition of the intestines, pan- 
creas and liver. It may also depend upon the blood at 
the time the food was eaten. If the blood be laden with 
effete matter and poor in quality, because of a previous 
unsuitable diet, the general tone of the digestive organs 
will be impaired. All of these are factors which make it 
difficult to determine what agrees and what disagrees. And 
people are often mistaken about their supposed peculiari- 
ties, but as the incompatibilities of foods and weakness of 
digestion have been previously discussed, the idiosyncra- 
sies due to habit will be most interesting. Nothing more 
strongly illustrates the effect of habit than the universal 
fondness for foods "like mother used to make." This is 
one of the strongest traits in human character and empha- 
sizes the extraordinary importance of proper home train- 
ing. The habits of early life seem to be interwoven with 
every fiber of our existence, and while there is no one in 
this world so revered as she who gave us birth; no name 
so dear as that of mother; yet it is distressing to realize 
that disease and death-producing habits are not less de- 
structive because made familiar to us by her hands. When 



290 IDIOSYNCRASIES 

mothers realize their obligations to their children, they 
will not cultivate appetites and tastes for foods that are in 
effect the same as murder. Most idiosyncrasies of habit 
are due to ignorance about foods. Could anything better 
illustrate this than some of the ridiculous notions people 
have about what they eat? Let us consider a few of them: 

Oatmeal. 
Some people say that oatmeal sticks to the stomach; 
others, that it is too heavy and unfit for food in hot 
weather; while still others declare that long cooking makes 
it "slimy" and not fit to eat. 

Bread. 
Most Americans think that no bread is fit to eat, except 
fresh, doughy bread, loaf or biscuit. 

Tea and Coffee. 
That only excessive whisky drinkers are inebriates, and 
that tea and coffee are good nerve tonics and strengthen 
the system. 

Celery. 
That it is a brain and nerve food. 

Soup. 
That it is particularly wholesome and nourishing. 

Pickles. 
That they are eaten by people when in love and are 
good for young girls and "old girls." 

Prunes. 
That they are very laxative or cause diarrhoea. 

Tomatoes. 
That they cause cancer and are good food for children. 

Popcorn. 
That it is wholesome as ordinarily eaten. 

Fried Meats. 
That they are fit to eat. 



IDIOSYNCRASIES 291 

Radishes. 

That they aid digestion and act on the livei. 
Ice Drinks at Meals. 

That they cool the system and aid digestion. 

Condiments. 

That they are beneficial. 

Green Corn. 

That it is healthful for human beings and bad for swine. 
Alcohol and Beer. 

That it increases strength and adds to the general well- 
being of the imbiber. 

What can be expected of people who are governed by 
such expansive ignorance? 

By way of parenthesis and confidential advice to dys- 
peptics, we might add, that if their attacks do not come 
often enough they should eat lobster salad, ice cream and 
rich cake between 10 p. m. and I a. m. If you expect the 
arrival of your family physician, a good meal of cucum- 
bers, vinegar, milk and ice water, will very likely make 
you glad to see him. If habits were not so pernicious and 
far-reaching in their effects, idiosyncrasies would not be 
worth considering; but as many people's lives are spent 
running from or running after their idiosyncrasies, it is 
time that attention should be given to the causes which 
wreck so many lives. Parents should first purge them- 
selves of their suicidal habits and then start their children 
right. A generation or two ago, when disease-breeding 
luxuries were not so easily obtained, children were reared 
with a view of becoming strong, able-bodied men and wo- 
men, who could assist in building homes; now, children 
to a great extent command the obedience of their parents 
in all their whims and follies. Parents are the guardians 
of posterity, and no language is strong enough to portray 
the misery which results from improper feeding. A diet 



292 IDIOSYNCRASIES 

mainly composed of sweet-meats and highly-spiced foods 
so perverts the nerves of taste, that plain, wholesome food 
is too tasteless or disagreeable. The result is that sooner 
or later the effects of such habits bring disease, and then 
they bewail their misfortune as a curse from God or 
Satan, whereas, it is the curse of personal and parental 
folly. The first step towards reform is sensible cooking; 
and then parents must see that their children eat a suitable 
variety of foods. We have often seen children make a 
me#l on canned tomatoes, also on fried eggs and fried 
meat, corned beef, bananas, green corn, raspberries, pick- 
les and cake. Children are often allowed to pepper their 
food until black and then cover with strong mustard. 
The effects of allowing children to have what they wished, 
as mentioned, varied from "unwell' to death. The great- 
est obstacles to health is pampered appetites. People will 
not eat what they do not like, no matter what the conse- 
quences. Some people urge this as an objection to the 
study of foods ; but it really only emphasizes its importance. 
When will people like what will keep them healthy and 
strong? The answer is simple: It will be when they are 
taught to eat wholesome foods in their childhood. Here 
is the strong point we make : People cannot form correct 
habits as to what and how to eat until they know the prop- 
erties of foods and how to prepare them. Disease and 
death have been accepted as the inevitable, with barely 
a thought about individual responsibility. Children are 
sent to school that they may be trained for the duties of 
life, but the most important thing is neglected, or taught 
in a way to be of very little practical benefit. What is 
the use to train the mind while the body is being killed? 
The proper use of food must in time hold the highest 
place in education, both in the home and at school. The 
value of moral and religious training is partly realized, but 



IDIOSYNCRASIES 293 

the religious world is in almost total darkness aBout the 
relation between the physical and the moral life. Moral- 
ity cannot be high when the tone of the body is low. 
Immorality is largely due to physical or nervous propen- 
sities that are either inherited or due to the violation of 
Nature's laws. 

If reformers will give two-thirds of their labor to teach- 
ing people the way to a perfect physical life, the other third 
will have ten times the results towards the moral and 
spiritual regeneration of the race. 

The third class of idiosyncrasies are not so common, 
but much more difficult to overcome. These are both 
pre-natal and post-natal impressions. The action of the 
human mind is one of the most unexplainable things of 
nature. Its freaks and variations are unlimited, and are 
to be observed outside, as well as inside of lunatic asylums. 
The influence of the mind over the body is so great that 
a very enthusiastic religious order undertake to heal all 
diseases by faith, which is, in fact, a mind cure. Some 
physicians estimate that forty per cent, of the ordinary 
diseases exist only in the imagination, and the success of 
the faith healers and hypnotists would seem to give strong 
support to the view that a large per cent, have no other 
existence. It is reported that there is an institution in 
Paris where sham surgical operations are performed on 
those who think that nothing else will cure them. It is 
said that the patient is given an anaesthetic, a scratch and 
a few stitches, and is then cured. Very amusing instances 
of how the mind is affected are reported from time to 
time, and as an apt illustration of what imagination will 
do, let me report what the doctor declares actually hap- 
pened: 

"One evening, about seven o'clock, I received a tele- 
phone call to come to X.'s at once; that he had a fish 



294 IDIOSYNCRASIES 

bone in his throat and was about to die. I immediately 
gathered what instruments I thought might be needed 
and hastened to X/s residence, and found him lying flat 
on the floor, writhing in agony and blue from holding his 
breath, because of his fear that breathing would draw the 
bone further down his throat. The family were wailing 
and hysterical, and were under the belief that the head of 
the household was about to pass over. Upon inquiry I 
found that the patient had eaten fish and dry toast, and 
after a careful examination, nothing was discoverable ex- 
cept a slight scratch on one of his tonsils, probably made 
by the toast. After a moment's reflection, I concluded 
that it was necessary to relieve the patient's mind, so I 
told him I would remove the bone in a moment ; and, un- 
der pretext of sterilizing my instruments, went to the 
kitchen and got a fish bone, fixed it in the instrument 
and went through the motions as if to remove the bone, 
pricked the tonsil slightly, withdrew the instrument and 
held up the supposed offender. The effect was magical; 
and, after looking at the bone and taking two or three 
swallows of water to see that all was clear, he declared 
that the relief he experienced was something remarkable." 
Physicians often cure by suggestion, as illustrated by 
the experience of another physician. One of his female 
patients had a chill every day at eleven o'clock. After 
treating her for several days without apparent benefit, he 
concluded that it was more hysterical than anything else; 
so he told the patient that he would have to give her an 
extraordinary remedy; that it was very dangerous if not 
used just right, but that it could not possibly fail to stop 
the chill. The doctor then gave her a small bottle of 
water and instructed her to take it exactly ten minutes be- 
fore eleven — the time the chill usually began. The doctor 
took particular pains to impress the patient with the fact 



IDIOSYNCRASIES 295 

that she could not possibly have another chill — and she 
didn't. 

Repugnance to certain foods is often due to mental im- 
pressions. We know a cultured gentleman, who is nause- 
ated at the sight of a raw oyster. He explains his pecu- 
liarity in this way: When he was about ten years old he 
made his first trip to a seacoast town where oysters were 
plentiful. Now, to an unsophisticated country youth, a 
raw oyster is certainly a slimy, repulsive looking object, 
and at first sight, to see a man gulp down big, slimy- 
looking oysters, made such a nauseating impression on 
him that he cannot to this day tolerate raw oysters, al- 
though the incident occurred more than fifty years ago. 

One of the most noticeable effects of pre-natal influ- 
ences is a man who constantly appears as if drunk, al- 
though he does not use alcoholic liquor at all. He has 
ordinary intelligence and physical vigor. His peculiar con- 
dition is due to his mother's fright during gestation, at 
some threatened danger from a drunken man. 

A frequently-observed physiological perversion of the 
appetite is that which so often occurs during the period 
of gestation. During this time there is often a vague 
longing for some special article of food to which the per- 
son may or may not Have been accustomed, e. g., ice 
cream, etc., and occasionally this desire extends to un- 
wholesome articles of food, as decaying fruit, and even 
to substances not used for food, e. g., coffee grounds and 
even dirt. 

These perversions may be very distressing, especially if 
the particular article desired cannot be obtained. 

In contrast with the perverted desire, we have aversion 
to certain foods which previous to the advent of gestation 
had been liked. These likes and dislikes, to some degree, 
may be transmitted to the offspring. On account of the 



296 IDIOSYNCRAS1A 

possible effect upon the child, the mother should, so far 
as possible, avoid anxiety concerning any peculiar ten- 
dencies of the appetite which may arise, and confine her- 
self to the usual diet to which she is accustomed, if it be 
wholesome. I 

A discussion of pre-natal influences would make a vol- 
ume of itself, and a good understanding of the subject is 
necessary for race-elevation. The object of all that has 
here been presented is to show that we are largely creatures 
of 'whims and accident, and that the mind can be trained 
to govern appetite and throw off disease. Very strong 
mental impressions can usually only be removed by hyp- 
notic suggestion, but ordinarily our likes and dislikes can 
be controlled by the will. The appetite for celery is ac- 
quired, as very few grown people will eat celery the first 
time it is offered. People are certain to dislike whatever 
they make up their minds that they won't like, and can 
easily learn to like anything the same way. We know a 
boy who was given pills in peach preserves, and it was 
years before he could disassociate them. It is very non- 
sensical to cultivate a dislike for foods because their ap- 
pearance does not always please our vision. 

An unnatural or perverted sense of smell is not so 
common as that of taste, but it is more annoying. The 
causes are much the same as idiosyncrasy, except that 
disease is more of a factor. Errors in diet often cause 
nausea, vomiting and fainting, which, in turn, may affect, 
the sense of smell and create a disgust for food, and in- 
crease the illness for the want of it. Strong extracts of 
cologne will often bring on attacks of dizziness and ver- 
tigo, and the odor of flowers frequently excite violent 
attacks of hay fever. The odor of the oleander has been 
known to create a disgust for flowers that never could be 
overcome. The ancients well knew the influence of flow- 



IDIOSYNCRASIA 297 

ers, and they were used as a potent aid in love, intrigue 
and even crime. Tube roses have been known to produce 
melancholy to a degree of mild insanity, and it can be 
truly said of them that they are hardly less sad than beau- 
tiful. Almost every person dislikes one or more foods, 
because of the odor produced. When the smell of any 
particular food or all foods give offense, the odor arising 
from cooking should carefully be avoided, and if neces- 
sary the meals should be eaten in the open air. A great 
deal can be accomplished by firmness. Most horses will 
not eat pumkin until starved to it. The method is very 
simple; the horse is put in the stable and pumkins in the 
feed-box. No other food or drink is given until the 
pumkins are eaten, and ever afterward the pumpkins are 
as well relished as oats. We are not prepared to advo- 
cate this method as an aid to the correction of a perverted 
sense of taste or smell, but we do know that hunger makes 
great changes in our tolerance of food. This is illustrated 
by a gentleman who took a long bicycle ride in the coun- 
try. For some unaccountable reason he had great an- 
tipathy to the odor of raspberries and could not bear the 
sight of them, for he in some way associated them with 
the odor of a certain little animal known to be capable of 
nauseating an entire neighborhood. About ten o'clock 
in the morning he became ravenously hungry, so he de- 
cided to stop at a farm house and get a lunch ; but to his 
chagrin he found no one there except a little girl. She 
told her uninvited guest that she did not belong to the 
family and could not give him anything to eat except the 
berries which she had gathered to which he was" welcome. 
Not thinking of raspberries, and being hungry enough 
to eat anything, the kind offer was accepted. The little 
girl brought the berries, and before he could refuse, she 
had delivered them into the gentleman's hands. The 



298 IDIOSYNCRASIA 

novelty of the situation, together with his hunger, over- 
came his repugnance to the fruit, and he has been fond of 
them ever since. 

Judicious flavoring and repeated trials will bring the 
appetite to favor suitable Toods. 

The best cure for all peculiarities is to prevent them, 
by proper living, as we have pointed out 



CHAPTER XXIV. 
CAUSES AND SIGNIFICANCE PAIN. 

Pain is the cry of an injured nerve. It often masks its 
real intention and plays hide and seek in the human 
body and should therefore be studied with great care, so 
that its characteristics may be fully understood. Most 
people understand it to be a gauge or measure which in- 
dicates the violence of the disease which causes it, but the 
danger from the disease is frequently in an inverse ratio 
to its intensity, so that the absence of pronounced pain 
may be of much greater significance than its presence, and 
while it indicates discordance in the human mechanism, it 
may herald the exact locality in which there is trouble, or 
may be very remote from the parts affected. 

Many persons suppose that serious diseases always pro- 
duce pain, and lack of knowledge on this subject has 
made thousands of persons victims of fatal, insidious dis- 
eases, that send no advance agent — pain — to herald their 
approach. These painless destroyers of life glide into our 
very vitals, and like the poisonous reptile in our pathway, 
strike us a fatal blow without even a pain to warn us of 
their existence. 

This would seem to make the value of pain in the diag- 
nosis of disease somewhat uncertain, and yet careful study 
of its intensity, recurrence, location, and even its absence, 
greatly aids in the diagnosis of disease. In order to deter- 
mine the significance of pain, we must take into consider- 
ation the relative sensitiveness of different individuals. 
We have all observed instances in which persons have 
complained a great deal from comparatively slight pain, 

299 



300 SENSITIVENESS TO PAIN 

while others have endured severe pain with little or no 
complaint. If a patient says that he has a severe pain, we. 
must determine by the appearance and character of the 
person, what this actually means. Does it mean that he 
is suffering from some serious disturbance, or is he simply 
exaggerating, perhaps unconsciously, what to some others 
would be considered slight pain? Again, it will some 
times be observed that children, and often adults, will 
endure pain without admitting it, if they fear the treat- 
ment that might follow, especially if that treatment be 
surgical. On the other hand, persons will often com- 
plain of pain and suffering, in order to attain certain ends . 
v Examples : persons have often been known to complain 
of pain in order to secure morphine or some similar drug 
which they crave. 

Why is it that some people actually feel pain more keenly 
than others? This may be accounted for on several 
grounds. Some persons naturally have a sensitive nerv- 
ous system, and any irritation will cause greater excite- 
ment of their nerves, than it would in a person who 
naturally has a sluggish nervous system. As a rule, per- 
sons inured to hardships can stand more pain than those 
who have always had an easy life. It is for this reason 
that those who have had much pain can endure it better 
than one who has always been free from it. It is fortunate 
that pain is the forerunner (so-called) of many diseases, 
and it would be better perhaps if it were present in the 
beginning of others; for it is the one thing which by its 
persistent annoyance will drive its possessor to determine 
its cause and seek relief. It is not uncommon to learn of 
persons who have neglected some serious disease because 
it had not caused them much pain. Alas, we would that 
pain were always the forerunner of disease ; for too often 
it comes too late and the victim is shocked to learn that 



VALUE OF PAIN 301 

an apparently slight trouble is of a serious nature. It con- 
sequently happens that a simple distress, or uneasy feel- 
ing, develops sooner or later into actual pain. Now the 
time to seek relief is soon after the distress is felt, and not 
wait weeks or months for it to disappear, without remov- 
ing its cause. Only a physician can interpret the real 
value and importance of a given pain, for the real cause 
does not always lie immediately in the region where the 
pain is felt, but may be quite remote. 

Under this head comes what are termed reflex pains. 
Example: heart disease will sometimes cause pain in the 
back and left arm; liver disease may cause pain in the right 
shoulder and back; spinal disease, pain in the legs, etc. 
How often we hear people who are suffering pain, say, 
"Oh, I think it is only a little rheumatic trouble due to 
the weather." While this is sometimes in a sense true, it 
is also true that some serious diseases early cause pains 
which may readily be mistaken for some slight trouble. 

Let us not forget that pain under all circumstances, in- 
dicates illness somewhere, and it might be almost truly 
said, that aside from the pain of child bed, there are no 
natural pains. The belief entertained by some, that chil- 
dren have "growing pains" is, to say the least, a great 
mistake, for neither slow nor rapid growth produces pain, 
and it is no part of healthy development. No perfectly 
well person feels pain, and when he does so, it should in- 
variably signify to him that some part of his physical 
mechanism is out of order, and in need of attention. It 
may be compared to the pounding or squeaking of an 
engine, or any machine, which should run smoothly; when 
it is heard the engineer knows that something is wrong, 
and at once tries to locate the cause and remove it. If it 
is necessary to take such precaution, with an inanimate 
machine, why should we not take equal or greater precau- 



302 ' TEMPTING DISEASE 

tion with our living mechanism, since our very existence, 
as rational, active beings, depends upon its preservation? 
Knowing all this, why do we not more often heed the kind 
warning of nature, remove the cause of an injury, and 
repair the part to which pain directs us. 

The savage, inured to pain from early infancy, meets it 
with a stoicism which is worthy of admiration, but which 
science and experience teaches, is too often the result of 
ignorance and superstition. Civilized men should not 
tamper with, or tempt disease, by violating the inexorable 
laws of nature. If we heed her first warning, she may be 
lenient, but if we disregard them, she may be cruel in the 
extreme. The saddest information which the physician 
gives, is, "you have neglected your trouble too long/' and 
the equally sad reply of the patient, "I did not think it 
was so bad, as I have not suffered much pain." 

These words may seem trifling to the reader, but stop 
one moment and reflect. May they ever apply to you? 
Yes, they may at any time apply to any one, and especially 
to those who disregard the rules of good living, and the 
warning of slight pains. A careless engineer who dis- 
regards slight defects in his machine may soon find that it 
has suddenly stopped — possibly capable of repair but 
often beyond such a possibility. If we could be so im- 
pressed with these facts as to be impelled by them, there 
would be fewer cases of premature age and early death; 
fewer cases of impaired and useless human machines. 
Whence arises that ill-sounding and never acceptable 
word, incurable? 

Too often it results from repeatedly disregarded pain, 
until the disease has advanced too far — nature has too 
long been outraged. In those cases where there is slight 
pain with the onset of some insidious disease, as chronic 
kidney, heart, or lung disease, etc., we can understand how 



PAIN OFTEN MISLEADING 303 

a person who does not recognize the importance of a slight 
pain, or even physical discomfort, may compromise him- 
self to disease, but to one who does know the significance 
of pain, it is gross carelessness. The location of pain is 
also a point worthy of consideration, for it is often mis- 
leading. The real source of disease may be far from the 
place where the pain is felt. To illustrate, let us consider 
some common examples: headache — one of the most 
common pains — may result from disturbance of the stom- 
ach, or bowels, or it may arise from some difficulty of the 
nervous system, or again, from actual disease of the brain. 
What is so commonly called heart-burn results from dis- 
turbance of the stomach, and is in no way a heart pain, 
simply felt in the region of the heart. 

Diseases of the female organs usually produce pain in 
the back, and not at the seat of the disease. Pains in the 
intestines can often be recognized by the patient, because 
of its colicky nature, but pains of other abdominal organs 
are not so easily recognized. How often people complain 
of pain in the kidneys, when in reality it is not in the kid- 
neys, but in the muscles of the back, and may be some 
distance from the kidneys. Pain in the kidneys is not one- 
half as common as many suppose. The character of the 
pain is as important as the location. In the first place, 
sharp pains more often indicate acute diseases, and dull, 
aching pains, chronic diseases. Of course, this rule has 
exceptions, which only emphasize the importance of find- 
ing out the cause of pain whatever its character. 

The intensity of pain also has considerable significance 
in disease. A pain does not have to be very intense in 
order to indicate a serious trouble, for some grave dis- 
eases, often exist with only a slight, if any pain at all. 
On the other hand the most intense pain is often found 
in acute and relatively slight diseases. Acute indigestion 



304 PREVENT PAIN 

is a comparatively slight disease, as regards the probability 
of recovery, but the pain is often intense, while a serious 
form of dyspepsia may show but slight pain. Finally, we 
should consider the duration of pain. If pain persists for 
hours or days it is usually of a more serious import than 
if it is transient. 

Neuralgic or rheumatic pains are often transient, while 
the pains of organic diseases are often protracted, but 
may vary in intensity or stop temporarily. It is usually 
for persistent pains that people seek reliet. They can 
stand pain part of the time, but they cannot as a rule stand 
it all the time. Now with what has been said about pain 
it becomes readily apparent that the individual should not 
trust too much to himself for its interpretation, but if it 
is at all constant, he should secure the opinion of some 
physician who can tell him whether it is of any real con- 
cern. This might well be illustrated by mistakes which 
are quite often made in regard to pain in the abdomen; 
not uncommonly pain in this region has been thought that 
of colic or indigestion, while it proved to be the pain of 
appendicitis. In the first condition there is no great 
anxiety, but; much in the latter and it should be recognized 
as early as possible, since a great deal depends upon the 
manner of treatment. 

Let no one think slightly of pain, for if heeded in time 
serious illness can often be prevented, and much suffering 
avoided. The doctor, skilled in examining patients, learns 
to distinguish the importance of the pain, and can often 
relieve a patient's anxiety or inform him of its true signifi- 
cance. People must not think that they can persistently 
disregard natural laws, until they suffer from organic dis- 
ease, and then expect a physician to undo all their past 
mistakes. The best time to treat disease is before it 
exists, and then the treatment is very simple, inasmuch as 



PREVENT PAIN 305 

it only means correct living. The penalties of unhygienic 
living are often long delayed, but they are almost sure to 
come sooner or later. Let us guard ourselves, lest we 
suffer from having abused nature. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

) 

FEEDING THE SICK. 

It was formerly supposed that drugs cured disease, and 
as a consequence, very little attention was paid to feeding 
sick people. The modern physician strives to aid nature. 
Nearly a half century ago, a noted medical writer stated 
that of all the means known for the cure of disease, none 
was so powerful as a proper adaptation of food and drink. 
It is to be regretted, that the importance of feeding, has 
not been more generally recognized, and this being true, 
it is no wonder that methods of feeding should escape at- 
tention, The first requisite is suitable food, and the 
nurse must see that it is properly prepared. It should be 
the duty of some one in every household to lake charge 
of the preparation and feeding in illness. It is not enough 
for the physician to give directions as to the food. The 
nurse must know that the milk is sweet and pure; that 
the broths are properly made; that the toast is thoroughly 
dried and browned; that the gruels are thoroughly cooked 
and that the fruits are neither green nor over-ripe. 

The patient's appetite and peculiarities must be watched' 
and it is of the greatest importance to find out his likes 
and dislikes, and how to flavor and serve what is agreea- 
ble. Study the patient's whims and agree with them, and 
under no circumstances should the patient be directly an- 
tagonized. If necessary to do things radically different 
from what he desires, agree with him in speech, but do 
what is best. If the patient wanted something very harm- 
ful that would require some tact. If not amenable to 
reason and the condition serious, it may be well to say 

507 



308 FEEDING THE SICK 

that he can have all he wants ; that the doctor directed that 
he be compelled to eat ten or twenty pounds. If per- 
suaded that he must eat a disagreeable amount, it often 
happens that they will not even taste the article. No very 
specific directions can be given. The patient's mind must 
be appeased as well as his body fed. There may be no 
appetite and all food refused, but this may result from 
offering unpalatable food, or due to some offensive way 
in which it is served. As a general rule, patients should 
be fed regularly. If the patient sleeps a good deal he may 
be roused up; but if not, the best time to offer food is just 
after the patient has slept, but never immediately after 
severe attacks of pain, unless unavoidable. One of the 
most essential things in good feeding is the patient's com- 
fort. It is of the utmost importance that the patient be 
made comfortable and able to receive the food without 
exertion, otherwise he may dread the sight of it. Food 
can always be made most appetizing to the patient by be- 
ing served in an attractive way. This means clean hands, 
clean apparel, and the best china in the house. Sick peo- 
ple are often much more observing than when well, and 
great care must be taken not to present the same appear- 
ance when offering food as when doing chamber Work, 
otherwise the patient may associate the two and be nause- 
ated at the sight of food. Hot food should be served 
quite hot, and cold ones sufficiently cold to be pleasant 
to the taste. It must be remembered that the sick are 
more or less sensitive and whimsical, and great bulk is 
particularly repugnant to a weak appetite. The practice 
of leaving medicine bottles and remnants of a meal on a 
chair or table, where the patient can constantly see them, 
is very careless, to say the least, and calculated to make 
the patient loathe the sight of food, and instead of a con- 



FEEDING THE SICK 309 

stant vision of nauseating medicine bottles, bright, fra- 
grant flowers will exert a beneficial influence. 

The frequency and quantity of food to be given, de- 
pends largely on the condition of the patient. The diges- 
tive secretions will usually be the weakest during high 
fever. Patients are seldom fed at closer intervals than 
two hours, or farther apart than four or five hours. 

If food causes nausea and disgust, it only does harm to 
offer it, no matter who advises it; but it does not follow 
that all foods will do so; and when one disagrees, some- 
thing else must be substituted for a time, even if less suit- 
able, until the patient can tolerate a better food. As a 
general rule, food should be given at regular intervals and 
in small quantities. Always carry small quantities of food 
to the bedside, and when the patient has little or no appe- 
tite, it is not advisable to ask what would be agreeable. 
If the patient be nervous and suffer greatly from pain, 
and therefore unable to sleep, he should not ordinarily be 
aroused for feeding; but if he sleeps much and is easily 
aroused, he may be fed at the regular periods. If he 
should insist on having some food, of doubtful use, pre- 
pare it without fat of any kind. If it be a solid, grind to 
a powder, as fine as flour, if possible ; but it is usually bet- 
ter to give only liquid food, and if vegetables, they should 
be stewed and only the broth given; and if fruits, only the 
juice. In such cases, give teaspoonfuls and watch re- 
sults. In giving meat broths, the oil floating on the cup 
should always be skimmed off with a piece of bread, before 
offering it. The care of the patient's mouth is hardly less 
important than the feeding, because a bad mouth may 
indirectly be the cause of death. The mouth is affected 
by fever, medicine, and foul secretions, which are likely 
to make it very uncomfortable and sometimes very sore; 
and in either case, it may destroy the patient's appetite. 
Now, many patients die of exhaustion, that would proba- 



310 FEEDING UNCONSCIOUS PATIENTS 

bly not have done so, had they been properly nourished ; 
and this, in turn, may have been because of the condition 
of the patient's mouth. There are only two things to be 
done, and that is to cleanse and disinfect after each feed- 
ing. Use warm water, to which a little of some mild 
disinfectant, such as boracic acid, has been added, and 
then rinse with plain water. Soft brushes or swabs should 
be used where possible. Of course, in washing the mouth 
nothing should be swallowed. Chewing a slice of lemon 
has a remarkable effect in cleansing a foul tongue, and 
for this purpose probably there is nothing as serviceable. 
Thejips should be moistened with salt water, or vaseline, 
or nut oils may be applied. Unconscious patients must 
not be fed anything but liquid food, and that through a 
catheter. This is necessary, because it is difficult to get 
food to the stomach in any other way, for the patient 
will not swallow. If the mouth cannot be opened and 
there are no teeth missing, through which the tube can 
be passed, then the tube must always be passed through 
the nostril. In the absence of any indications to the con- 
trary, patients may be allowed all the cold water they 
wish. This is especially true in fever. ' During a chill, 
or where it is necessary to reduce the volume of blood, as 
in some disease of the heart, or puerperal eclampsia 
(spasms after child-birth), specific directions as to amount 
of liquid to be allowed, must be given by the attending 
physician. The matter of ventilation and sanitation do 
not belong to this book, except as an incident affecting 
the patient's appetite. 

Many people in ordinary health are almost as afraid of 

"drafts" as of small-pox. It is, therefore, not surprising 

I that sick chambers are often kept without pure air. The 

sick room must be kept sweet No sick person can have 

an appetite or relish foods when kept in a foul, stifling 



IN ACUTE DISEASES 311 

atmosphere. Warmth and fresh air are the first of all 
considerations, and air exerts the greatest influence in 
diseases of the lungs. All vessels used in the sick-room 
must be disinfected and cleaned with boiling water every 
time they are used. 

Diet in Acute Diseases. 

Many suppose that feeding in acute diseases is unim- 
portant, because they are usually of short duration. This 
is a great error; for who knows the duration of any at- 
tack of illness? The patient should be kept in as good a 
condition as possible to resist disease, and to be able to 
more quickly resume the duties of life. 

A few years ago, a large per cent, of typhoid patients 
died of exhaustion after three or four weeks' illness. Now 
it is possible to carry them the same length of time with 
very little loss of weight Fever destroys tissue at a high 
rate. This calls for diet rich in proteids. There are some 
general principles which apply in nearly all acute dis- 
eases. Briefly enumerated, they are as follows: 

(1) Foods must be well cooked and easy to digest. 

(2) They should be given in fluid, puree, semi-solid or 
powdered form. 

(I '.) It is generally necessary to give small quantities 
with greater frequency than in health. 

(4) Foods should be given when the body tempera- 
ture is the lowest. 

(5) All foods must be bland and unirntatmg. 

(G) No iced drinks should be given except by advice 
of attending physician. 

The foods most commonly used in acute diseases, ex- 
cept water, are as follows : 

Milk holds first place, and can probably be used in some 
form in all cases. Plain milk may first be tried, either 
cold or hot, then pasteurized, sterilized or peptonized. 



312 HOW TO PREPARE FOOD 

If these do not agree, try rnilk and barley water, or milk 
and gelatine, or milk and "slippery elm" water. In diarrh- 
oea use milk and lime water, and in constipation milk 
and soda water (see "Milk," for methods). 

When desirable to use the largest quantity of food, the 
milk should be thickened with well-cooked starch, either 
rice, barley flour, arrowroot, sago or corn starch. The 
fine flour starches should be put to cook in cold water 
and gradually brought to a boil and kept boiling for an 
an hour or two. Coarse meals should be kept boiling 
from three to five hours and then strained. Meat broths 
are used extensively, but as ordinarily made they contain 
but little nutriment. Meat may be used in.powdered form 
to better advantage. The most practical way to powder 
meat is to grind it at least six times, and each time it is 
run through the grinder, the solid or stringy part should 
be removed. This will reduce the bulk about one-half, 
but the refuse may be used for broths. The powder may 
be macerated in cold water and then gently warmed. If 
the patient is very feeble, it should be strained. 

Eggs may be used with either broths, milk or alcohol, 
where the latter is prescribed it will usually be desirable to 
use it as a vehicle for food. They can best be used with- 
out cooking, when beaten or stirred into hot broths or 
milk. Skill in flavoring may save life, because recovery 
may depend on the strength of the patient, and that in 
turn on the amount of food that can be taken. Lemon, 
pineapple, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon and fruit flavors gen- 
erally, may be employed. Some of the prepared infant 
and invalid foods may be used to great advantage. The 
use of fruits gives most concern, because of their sugar 
and acid, which may quickly ferment. Sometimes they 
seem to exert a restorative power that is marvelous. The 
sweet fruits seem to ferment too quickly, and the sour 



FRUITS AND MILK 313 

ones are incompatible with milk, and sometimes with the 
medicines administered. If attending physician fails to 
give any directions about fruits, it would be well to ask 
whether acids would be incompatible with any of the 
drugs administered. The sour fruits should be given with 
the egg or meat broths, and not with milk, and always free 
from seeds and skins. The juices of stewed fruits should 
be used for their flavor, rather than the nutriment they 
contain. Great care must be exercised not to give fruits 
that are tainted with decay, or that contain any solid or 
tough substance. Nothing but the juice should be given, 
with the possible exception of mellow peaches, baked 
apples and banana meal. 

It is certainly advisable to give daily all the food that 
can be digested, whether that b« a pint or three quarts. 
We doubt the propriety of giving more than three pints 
or two quarts of milk per day in typhoid cases. More 
nourishment will be needed, but meat-powder or beaten 
eggs, with an increased supply of water, will bring best 
results. It is best to add barley water, well-cooked starch 
or gelatine to milk to prevent the formation of large 
curds. There are no inflexible rules — feeding must be 
adapted to the patient. 

Drinks. 

Not many generations ago, the sick died of thirst, be- 
cause the people were so ignorant as to believe that water 
was a strong ally to fever. Now water is administered 
inside and outside, and fever is controlled by it when all 
other remedies are impotent. Patients who are rational 
will ask for water; but those who are unconscious, should 
be given water at regular intervals. If milk be used ex- 
tens: \-ely, the need for water will be much less than if 
smaller quantities of fluid be ingested. Sour lemonade 
is one of the favorite drinks in fever. If there is any 



314 DRINKS 

tendency to sour stomach", no sugar should be used. It 
must not be given with milk or starch gruel, nor with 
incompatible drugs. Both tea and coffee should be re- 
fused, but cereal coffee may be allowed, and very useful 
by way of variety. Coffee may be used for flavoring milk 
or other foods. It must not be allowed to boil, and' 
should be steeped only a short time. 

If the patient likes chocolate, a little may be added to 
cereal coffee, but should be strained before using. Grape 
juice, unfermented fruit juices, and natural mineral waters 
are usually allowable, and sometimes very beneficial. 
Cold 1 drinks must be slowly sipped, otherwise they may 
greatly interfere with digestion. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

CAUSES OF INDIGESTION. { 

The diseases of the stomach and other digestive organs 
are so nearly universal in this country, and so closely re- 
lated to each other, it may not be amiss to call attention 
to a few general facts as a prelude to a more specific dis- 
cussion of the causes which produce them, and the mala- 
dies incident thereto. Primitive man lived much more 
in harmony with his stomach than our modern, so-called 
highly educated being. Civilization, with its inventions, 
has done much to elevate man and produce external com- 
forts, most of which react on his physical nature; and 
this is especially true of his digestive organs. The stom- 
ach might aptly be called the boiler of the body; and when 
we think of what its owners compel it to endure, the ques- 
tion naturally arises, "Had man's stomach been 
constructed of aluminum, would he still have found some 
way to destroy it in the gratification of his perverted 
tastes?" As man now lives, his stomach is totally inade- 
quate for the uses which he makes of it. Had it been con- 
structed of some material that would not corrode, that 
would stretch to unlimited proportions and then set on 
springs, it might have met the requirements of modern 
usage. Modern man is a creature of boastful progress; 
but his very progress has brought him habits of self-de- 
struction. Nature demands activity; whereas, the con- 
stant effort of man is to contrive some way to avoid work, 
and increase his luxuries — the highway robbers of health. 
Our savage ancestors were giants in strength and stature, 
and we, their dwarfed descendants, resemble them only 

315 



316 SOURCE OF DISEASE 

as a shadow resembles its substance, and the best that can 
be said of us is, that we are a badly executed miniature, 
painted by the cramped, nerve-racked hand of modern 
civilization. There are several ways of using a candle. 
In olden times they lighted many candles, at one end, 
which made a bright light and burned long. Modern 
man is nothing if not ingenious, and seemingly econom- 
ical. He lights both ends of his candle, saves candles and 
candelabra; but alas, how quickly burned out! We for- 
get that pain and disease is the base alloy that makes our 
lives a counterfeit of Mature. If we would be free from 
physical infirmities or cure them, we must study their 
causes. 

Causes of Disease. 
The source of disease is sometimes obscure, but gener- 
ally speaking, its causes may be divided into two general 
classes: (1) Those that come from extraneous sources, 
which are called contagious or infectious diseases. (2) 
Those that come from within, from poisonous products 
generated in the body, or some form of mal-nutrition. It 
is a great mistake to suppose that most of our ailments 
are unavoidable. A few of the more virulent diseases, 
such as diphtheria, are probably not dependent on the ill 
health of those whom it attacks for a starting point; but 
most germs have little or no effect on those who are in 
perfect health, while those who are already diseased, are 
easy victims. Some physicians say that nine-tenths of 
the ordinary diesases are caused by auto-intoxication — 
self-poisoning. This estimate may be too high, but all 
physicians of high attainments agree that a very large per 
cent, are so produced. To put it another way: we allow 
effete matter to accumulate in the system, or take sub- 
stances into the body which form poisonous compounds, 
and disease, or at least weakness, results. Now, as good 



DISEASE SELF INFLICTED 317 

health is the armor of Nature, the system is defenseless 
without it. It is our purpose to show how disease origin- 
ates by pointing out the most common errors in our hab- 
its of living, and the characteristics of the diseases pro- 
duced. The immediate sources of contagious diseases 
are beyond the scope of this book, for they are all de- 
pendent upon bacteria or other organisms. We there- 
fore pass them by. Modern investigation has thrown 
much light upon self-inflicted diseases, and how they 
originate. This has come from a better knowledge of 
chemistry and the use of the microscope. Our bodies 
are real laboratories. We eat food and it is converted 
into heat, muscle, nerve, fat and bone. The processes are 
many, and none can be safely omitted. This fact seems 
to be generally overlooked. We eat to live, but most 
people exist (not to live) to eat. There is no teamster so 
dull but that he knows there is a limit to the capacity of 
his vehicle; no miller that does not know that he cannot' 
put two barrels of flour in one; but how many people have 
ever given any thought as to the capacity of their diges- 
tive organs or the needs of the system? In this respect 
they have far less regard for themselves than they have 
for any piece of machinery they possess. To do good 
work a machine must not be fed beyond its capacity, and 
it must be kept clean. Just so with the human body. If 
properly fed, and kept clean, free from effete matter, there 
will be no disease. A good many attribute their illness 
to overwork, or the weather — sometimes to la grippe or 
malaria. Old people who are rheumatic, gouty and stiff, 
are certain that it was the hard work done in early life 
that makes them so. Is it any wonder that the rising 
generation is not on good terms with work? There is an 
occasional person who gets sick from overwork; but the 
overwork that causes most sickness is that done at the ta- 



318 OVERWORK UNCOMMON 

ble. Very few people injure themselves by physical labor ; 
but a small number do from mental work. Overwork 
is usually a nice-sounding name for over-stimulation from 
tobacco, alcoholic liquors, tea or coffee, which disturb 
digestion and prevent the relaxation and rest that is es- 
sential to good health. Injudicious diet, lack of exercise, 
and stimulants, "overwork" thousands of people. Any 
well-nourished person can work nine to twelve hours a 
day without injury, but the people want to be told that it 
was overwork, rather than bad habits, that causes their 
illnpss. Work is not a curse, but a blessing — though 
most people don't want to be blessed that way. Some 
"overworked" people so seldom use their feet and legs to 
move themselves, if it were not for uncomfortable foot- 
ware they would forget they had such useless appendages. 
"Nervous exhaustion" might often appropriately be named 
pedal inanimation. The other supposedly great cause of 
disease — the weather — is also only a small factor. And 
then only in connection with one of the real causes — the 
imperfect elimination of waste. 

Waste of the Body. 
The waste of the body is eliminated through the lungs, 
skin, kidneys and bowels ; and whenever it is not promptly 
removed from the system, disease results. The waste is 
made up of three elements : 

1. The dead tissue of the body. 

2. Indigestible particles of food. 

3. Excess of food taken into the system over and above 
its needs. 

If the mere smell of decaying tissue-foods, such as meat 
and eggs, makes one sick, does it not follow that it would 
have a worse effect when in the system? The effete tissue 
and excess of food, especially meat and eggs, are really 
poisonous. People know something about the necessity 



WATER 319 

of food, but seem totally unconcerned whether the waste 
is removed or not, although it is of vital importance. 
Every one knows that human life cannot exist without 
air, but they do not realize that it could not long exist if 
every pore in the skin were closed. A large amount of 
impurities is thrown out through the lungs, and foul 
breath (except it come from mouth or nose) is one of the 
best evidences of how the system tries to cleanse itself. 
A wet sponge will not absorb as much water as a dry 
one; nor will air, laden with impurities, carry away as 
much waste from the system as pure air. An active skin 
is almost as essential as pure air, and if generally recog- 
nized, disease would be far less common. All intelligent 
people understand the necessity for keeping the skin clean, 
but lose sight of the fact that it must be kept warm. This 
explains why the changes of the weather make people sick. 
A chilly or damp day may close the pores of the skin; and 
if the other outlets be inactive, a cold is the result. This 
is especially noticeable in those who eat more than their 
system needs. An excess or too little clothing (especially 
on the extremities), overheated rooms that dry the skin, 
are causes of cold and indigestion. The nitrogenous 
waste of the body is removed through the kidneys ; but as 
they are mainly affected by errors in diet, nothing need 
be said about their action. Non-elimination of waste, on 
account of constipation, is so common that it demands 
separate treatment under diseases of intestines. No mat- 
ter how we live, there will always be a certain amount of 
tissue that is being removed and entering the circulation. 
If the excretory outlets are insufficient, the poisonous 
matter is kept in the system, with results that vary from 
discomfort to death. 

Lack of Exercise. 
The necessity of labor for most people, gives sufficient 



320 EXERCISE DIET OVEREATING 

exercise; but many women and business men take too 
little. Those who do heavy work need a great deal of 
food, because food is burned up in force-production. 
Besides this, great muscular activity shakes the dormant 
digestive organs into activity, and assists in the elimination 
of waste. The main difficulty is to provide the proper 
amount of food for a certain amount of exercise. People 
who lead an active life will eat as much or more on Sun- 
day, when they do nothing, as when they are at hard la- 
bor. This brings us to the principal source of disease: 
Lack of Adaptation in Diet. 

Under ordinary conditions every organ in the body is 
more than able to perform the functions for which it was 
intended, and there should be no disease; but so long 
as people utterly disregard the law of supply and demand, 
in the matter of feeding themselves, so long will the hu- 
man family be cursed with it. The various organs of the 
body are dependent upon each other, and all are depend- 
ent upon good blood, which can only come from food 
adapted to the needs of each individual. It should be 
constantly borne in mind, that the ordinary diseases re- 
sult either Irom poison or starvation; poison from dead 
tissue or decay of foods; starvation, because the foods 
did not furnish the essential elements of life, could not be 
digested, or was too small in quantity. It sounds para- 
doxical to say that one lacks nourishment, when already 
consuming twice as much food as needed, but such is fre- 
quently the case. It is not what we eat, but what we 
digest and assimilate that sustains life; and there is no 
fault that interferes with digestion more than an excess of 
food. 

Overeating. 

Too much food unduly distends the stomach and weak- 
ens its contractile power, thus destroying, in a great meas- 



OVEREATING COOKING 321 

lire, its activity — churning movements. This might be 
illustrated by trying the strength of your arm when 
stretched as far as you can reach. B asides this, there is 
a limit to the amount of digestive secretions, and if these 
be only sufficient to digest twenty ounces of food, it is 
manifest that twice that quantity could not be digested. 
Now, what results? The food will most likely remain in 
the stomach too long and decay, which cannot be cor- 
rected after the food passes out of the stomach. The 
blood thus becomes rilled with crude and often poison- 
ous substances. This is what produces the languor, head- 
ache and general discomfort so frequently felt after eating 
a large meal, when there was no demand in the system 
for it. An overloaded stomach acts like a horse with a 
heavy load on a bad road — very slow. There is a chance 
that it won't get through; and if it does, it will be in a 
bad condition. The most common result of overeating 
is to throw a great bulk of gaseous, fermenting food 
into the intestines, unduly distending them and prevent- 
ing their action, which is a common cause of constipation. 
Under such conditions, digestion will be very imperfect, 
and the system poorly nourished and burdened or poi- 
soned by the waste. 

Bad Cooking. 
Next to overeating, it is somewhat difficult to determine 
whether bad cooking, folly in drinking, or haste in eating, 
causes most disease. All are well-nigh universally prac- 
ticed in this country. If our people had to do without 
foods until they were properly cooked, most of them would 
starve to death. Some modern cooks try to please the' 
taste, regardless of the stomach, while a large number 
make no effort to do either. This class simply bring heat, 
water, food and fat together, and trust to patent medi- 
cines and the doctor to keep alive those who eat their 



322 COOKS SLAY MILLIONS 

products. The modern cock has been energetic in one 
direction, at least; and that is to get as far away from ra- 
tional processes as possible. The object of cooking is to 
disintegrate the food and make it most palatable, but the 
cook often does everything possible to serve the food in 
such a way that neither end is attained. Heat coagulates 
or solidifies albumen — the principal element of meat and 
eggs — so, in. order to make them as nearly insoluble as 
possible, the cook keeps them subject to a hot fire for a 
long time, and, as il this were not bad enough, they are 
often saturated with butter or lard. Fats are not digested 
in the stomach, and when meat or eggs are saturated with 
it, the food is sheathed with material not acted upon by 
the secretions of the stomach. Could any process be 
worse than to first render the food insoluble and then 
smuggle it through the stomach under a cover of fat? 
This is not all ; for the process of cooking starch is equally 
bad. All starch-yielding foods are composed of layers of 
starch cells, from one-eight-hundredth, to one-five thou- 
sandth of an inch in diameter. These cells are enclosed 
in indigestible envelopes, which must be ruptured by- 
cooking. Rolled oats is often served within five min- 
utes after it commences to cook, while two hours' 
cooking would be nearer right. The method of cooking 
coarse, fibrous vegetables, such as cabbage, is almost as 
bad. The stomach is the disintegrating vessel of the body, 
and half-cooked, woody or stringy vegetables, saturated 
with fat, cannot be dissolved in weak stomachs. The or- 
dinary cook spoils the meat by over-cooking; the starchy 
foods by almost no cooking; and caps the climax of cui- 
sine folly by serving doughy bread. Verily, the cook 
slays not only thousands, tens of thousands, but millions. 
Uselessness of Teeth. 
The Creator either made a mistake in giving man teeth, 



EATING AND DRINKING 323 

or man makes a mistake in not using them. The teeth 
were evidently intended to crush all solid substances be- 
fore they were swallowed. It was also intended that 
saliva be mixed with the food to an extent of thorough 
saturation; but most people swallow their food without 
much crushing or saliva, and to make their folly complete, 
they wash it down with quantities of both hot and cold 
drinks." 

Drinking Folly. 

"If he could run like he can drink, I would like to hunt 
hares with him," can still be applied to many people. 
Folly in drink seems to have begun with human life, and 
we fear it will only end there. The use of alcoholic 
liquors has long been an important factor in producing 
disease. Strong liquors paralyze the nerves, deaden sen- 
sibility and irritate the mucous membranes of the stomach. 
Malt liquors, in quantities, derange the stomach, because 
of their icy coldness, their bulk and the amount of acetic 
acid they contain. Alcoholic inebriety is a great curse 
both physically and morally, but is not the only harmful 
drinking. 

The reformers are not free from folly of a serious char- 
acter; for many of them are tea and coffee inebriates, 
which, if not so bad as alcohol, they make up in the num- 
bers they injure for what they lack in the intensity of ef- 
fects. The habit of stimulating the nervous system with tea 
and coffee and tobacco, through its direct and hereditary 
influences, is one of the principal sources of alcoholic ine- 
briety. Any considerable drinking during meals is per- 
nicious, because it dilutes the digestive secretions too 
much, and makes too great a bulk in the stomach; but 
warm drinks are not quite as bad as very cold drinks, 
which lower the temperature of the stomach and paralyze 
its nerves. Ice water with meals is one of the most stu- 



324 INSUFFICIENT DIET 

pid pieces of folly practiced by Americans (mostly men), 
but a few (mostly female) have a still worse habit. They 
drink liquids scalding hot. This practice leads to very 
serious results, as the excessive heat irritates the mucous 
membranes and relaxes the stomach and causes its dila- 
tation. 

Foul Mouths. 

Some people keep their mouths about as foul as garb- 
age boxes. The food adheres to the teeth and decays; 
this ^destroys them, makes an offensive breath, and poi- 
sons the food to a greater or less extent, and causes it 
to decay in the stomach. 

Deficient Diet. 

To maintain health, our food must supply the chemical 
elements found in the body, in proper proportions, and 
as most people must select their foods from a very limited 
number set before them, it often happens that the appe- 
tite causes them to eat those things that contain an ex- 
cess of some elements, but deficient in others. Many eat 
an excess of sugar, syrup, preserves, candy and sweet- 
ened foods. Many dyspeptics are cured by leaving off 
all sweetened or sweet food. A large number eat too 
much fat in the way of fat meat, butter, cream, gravy and 
pastry rich from shortening. Free fats in the stomach 
envelop the food and resist the action of the gastric juice, 
and delay digestion. If fats remain in the stomach too 
long, they are partly converted into butyric acid, which 
irritates the stomach. A common instance of a badly- 
chosen diet is excessive meat eating. If meat be eaten as 
the principal part of the diet, it must be used for tissue- 
repair and heat-production, or it will poison the body if 
not promptly eliminated. Some go to the other extreme, 
and eat very little but starch, white bread and potatoes. 
Such a diet is deficient in protein and mineral matter. 



INSUFFICIENT DIET 325 

Too Little Waste. 

One of the most common faults or mistakes in our diet, 
is the use of foods that contain too little waste material. 
This comes from the practice of removing all the cellu- 
lose (bran) from our breadstufTs, so that they may appear 
white. Finely powdered bran acts as a stimulant of the 
bowels, and is the best of all known remedies for consti- 
pation. ITiie practice of eating coarse bran, as advised by 
some physicians, is a great mistake. It is too irritating, 
and likely to remain in the stomach too long, and may 
also obstruct the bowels. 

Incompatibility of Foods. 

Foods may be good and wholesome enough, but in- 
compatible when taken together. As an example, acids 
arrest the digestion of starch, and acids and milk will often 
cause vomiting. Strong tea makes eggs insoluble in the 
stomach, and both strong tea and coffee arrest digestion. 
Another common fault is that of eating too many kinds 
of food at the same meal. Some chemical elements unite; 
others will only mix like oil and water. Foods contain 
various chemical elements, and the fewer that are mixed 
at one time the better for digestion. Another thing, foods 
that are easily digested, and sour quickly, like sweet 
fruits and sweetened starch puddings, should not be eaten 
with hearty meals, or with foods that require a long period 
for digestion. If this be done, they are likely to sour 
the whole meal. 

Eating too Little Food. 

Many people, who are somewhat dyspeptic, eat too lit- 
tle food. Upon finding that many foods disagree with 
them, they restrict their diet until it barely sustains life. 
This increases their constipation, weakens the system and 
aggravates their dyspeptic troubles. (See Dietaries, for 
quantity required.) 



326 IRRITATING SUBSTANCES 

Foods may irritate the stomach: (1) Because of their 
chemical composition. Such foods as raw onions and 
strong radishes are examples. Also such condiments as 
pepper, sage, curry, horse radish, mustard, and other 
pungent substances. But few people would care to blister 
the outside of their bodies; yet they have no hesitation 
about blistering the inside. 

(2) Foods may irritate, because insoluble. Examples : 
Green fruits, raw, tough vegetables, pieces of nut kernels, 
lumps of meat or any other coarse, hard substance. 

(3) Probably the most irritating of all foods, are those 
that contain poisonous ptomaines. The most common 
foods of this class are decaying fruits, decomposing milk 
products and poorly-prepared canned goods. Both fresh 
and canned fish are frequent sources of violent gastric 
attacks, because they are often tainted. 

(4) Foods frequently contain mineral poisons from 
the vessels in which they have been kept. 

Irritating Drugs. 
The abuse of drugs is one of the most common and 
potent causes of disease; especially constipation and dys- 
pepsia. It is putting it mildly to say that not a few have 
drug mania. Cathartics act by irritating the mucous mem- 
bran of the digestive tract, and every time it is irritated, it 
is likely to become less sensitive, until finally the ordinary 
contents of the intestines do not stimulate it to action, 
which necessitates a constant repetition of irritating 
cathartics. 

Irregular Eating. 
Nature has method in everything, and we are naturally 
inclined to sleep and eat at regular periods. If we eat 
irregularly we break the rhythm of nature, and it is just 
as bad for the stomach to delay eating as it is for the 
quality of the dinner to delay after it is prepared. The 



IRREGULAR HABITS 327 

stomach cannot keep an adequate amount of digestive 
fluids to be drawn on at any or all times. But this is not 
all. Going an extra long period without meals causes 
acute hunger and an overloading of the stomach ; and an 
extra short period does not give time for the stomach to 
empty. Many people eat regularly during the week, but 
on Sunday they disturb the regularity of the system by 
eating a hearty breakfast from one to three hours later 
than usual, and then an extra large dinner within four 
or five hours. It is this pernicious practice that makes 
people so uncomfortable and dull on Sunday and unre- 
freshed to begin a week's work on Monday. 
Evacuation of the Bowels. 

A frequent cause of disease in the cities is neglect to 
evacuate the bowels. Pressure of work and laziness is 
assigned as a reason. The calls of Nature should always 
be promptly met. 

Loss of Sleep. 

Sleep and rest are both necessary; without them the 
nervous system has no tone and there is general languor. 
Late hours burn the candle of life at both ends, and 
night revelers sooner or later pay a fearful penalty, for 
late-hour gaiety. 

Excesses. 

All excesses disturb the system. This is especially true 
of those of a private character. 

Tobacco. 

The use of tobacco is both vile and pernicious; and the 
physical wrecks, directly or indirectly due to tobacco, 
would astonish the world if all were bunched together. 
Dyspeptics should quit tobacco. 

Dress. 

A distinguished New York specialist reports that his 
books show that thirty-four per cent, of the women treated 



328 EFFECTS OF DRESS 

have displaced stomachs, while only six per cent, of the 
men were so afflicted. Of the females treated, the prin- 
cipal factor in the displacement was the corset. Of the 
males, probably the excessive use of beer and other liquids 
was responsible for their condition. Figure II shows 
side-view of female form. The dotted lines show the out- 
line of a "neat waist" and "fine form," after the adominal 
organs have been displaced by the corset. 

Fig III shows front view. The outside waist lines rep- 
resent the natural waist; the middle dotted waist line the 
waist of the ordinary corset-wearer, who says that she does 
not "lace;" the inside dotted waist line shows how much 
the 'corset can improve Nature. 

Figure IV shows natural position of abdominal organs. 

Figure V is a front view of female, showing abdominal 
organs as displaced by corset-wearing. 

Heredity. 

No one can doubt the tendencies of heredity. Where 
both parents are weak their children will likely be so too; 
and if there be many children, some will be stronger and 
some weaker than their parents. The chief crime of 
parents against Nature is in transmitting nervous tenden- 
cies that make the child seek stimulants. How could it 
be otherwise, when parents use stimulants from the time 
they could talk? Can you blame the child of such parents 
who cries for strong coffee? By beginning early in life, 
hereditary weakness can, in the main, be overcome, so 
that personal responsibility can not be ignored, because of 
the transgression of our parents. 

Local and General Diseases. 

Local and general diseases are often most strongly man- 
ifested by disorders of the stomach. This is especially 
true of lung diseases — bronchitis and consumption. In 
these diseases, repugnance to fats is often one of the first 
symptoms, 




Fio. II. 



Side view — female form, showing natural outlines, 
Dotted lines represent the change due to lacing. 



829 




% Iff- 

Front view — female form. 

A. Outline of natural waist. 

B. Outline of ordinary torm, "not laced." 

C. Common outline of fashionable waist. 

330 




F,,IV. 



Front view — female form, showing natural position 
of abdominal organs, lungs, etc. 



331 




Front view of female, showing displacement of ab- 
dominal and other organs, due to corset wearing. 

333 



DISEASES CAUSE INDIGESTION 333 

Heart Disease. 

Indigestion from diseases of the heart is doubtless due 
to disturbance in circulation; but it should be borne in 
mind that the heart is much more likely to be affected 
from the stomach, than the stomach is from the heart. 
Diseases of the Liver. 

The stomach is probably more in sympathy with the 
liver than any other organ; not so much from the assist- 
ance it gives in digestion, but because it is the chief organ 
for removing poison from the blood, which may cause 
indigestion in two ways: (1) From imperfect elimina- 
tion of nitrogenous waste. (2). Reflexly, by constant 
irritation. Of the latter, painters, workers in lead, people 
living in newly painted houses, are the ones chiefly af- 
fected. Formerly, lead water pipes were sources of poi- 
soning, but are not so as now made; but the same cannot 
be said of face powders. These arrest digestive secre- 
tions, and greatly diminish the churning movements of the 
stomach. 

Diseases of the Intestines. 

Diseases of the intestines are almost certain to affect the 
stomach, probably because excessive activity hurries the 
food out of the stomach before it is digested, and lack of 
activity has the opposite effect. It may still have another 
effect, resulting from imperfect digestion. Intestinal di- 
gestion being very important, if it fails, the blood will not 
be supplied with necessary elements, and the stomach 
may show the ill effect. 

Malaria. 

Malaria is likely to affect digestion from several causes. 
Fever of any kind diminishes digestive secretions of the 
stomach. In addition to this, if the liver is overworked, 
it cannot perform its functions perfectly. 

Diseases of the Throat. 
These may affect the stomach in two ways : by reflex irri- 



334 HEAT COLD LIGHT 

tation and from pus, or mucus, being carried to the stom- 
ach. 

Anything that irritates the fauces may cause vomiting 
and tickling the throat has long been practiced for that 
purpose. 

Pregnancy and Female Disorders, 

Pregnancy is frequently accompanied by stomach dis- 
turbance; especially nausea, vomiting and craving for par- 
ticular, and often peculiar, articles of diet. With female 
diseases, there is frequently .associated some stomach 
trouble which results from the particular disease and dis- 
appears with it. Thus the physician, in treating women 
for stomach trouble, should ascertain whether or not it 
is simply stomach disease, or secondary to some other fe- 
male disorder. 

Heat and Cold. 

Excessive heat and overexertion Cause general collapse; 
but the indigestion, common to hot weather, is mainly 
due to cold drinks and use of decaying fruits. Cold, chills 
the surface an3 disturbs the circulation, causes congestion, 
and partially arrests the elimination of waste. 
Pressure on the Stomach. 

This is common in occupations requiring a stooping 
attitude. It restrains the natural activity of the stomach 
and interferes with digestion. 

Light. 

The importance of light is often overlooked. Man was 
never inteded to live in a cave or dungeon and work by 
artificial light, and those who do so pay a severe penalty. 
Ordinarily, people are not seriously affected by slight vio- 
lations of the principle's of good living, if not too long 
continued, nor too many of them. In most cases of ill- 
ness it will be found that several causes operate together 
to produce the disease. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

DISEASES OF THE STOMACH. 

Diseases of the stomach are classified as follows: 
Nervous dyspepsia, neurosis of the stomach, gastric 
neurasthenia and gastralgia, are names applied to various 
affections of the stomach that have their origin in the 
nervous system. Acute and chronic gastritis designate 
acute and chronic inflammations of the stomach of a 
catarrhal character. Hyperchlorhydria and hypersecre- 
tion, apply to excessive secretion of hydrochloric acid in 
the stomach. The former is used to designate the exces- 
sive secretion of acid during meals; the latter to uninter- 
rupted secretion without any relation to meals. Ulcer is 
a sore on the lining membrane of the stomach, which, in 
some cases, may perforate it. A dilated stomach is one 
that is stretched beyond its natural size and remains so. 
Cancer is a tumor of the stomach, which grows more or 
less rapidly, and interferes with digestion. This classifi- 
cation is made according to the manner in which the stom- 
ach is locally affected, rather than the cause of the disease 
or the symptoms produced. Neither of the diseases 
named have all symptoms entirely different from other 
diseases of the stomach, but usually each has some dis- 
tinguishing characteristic. The time is past when phy- 
sicians can call any disease of the stomach dyspepsia or 
indigestion, and stop there. The modern doctor must 
now determine what kind of indigestion his patient ftas, 
and to do this it may be necessary to take out the contents 
of the stomach and make a chemical examination of it. 
The fact that many physicians have not been able to dif- 
ferentiate one disease of the stomach from another, ex- 

S35 



336 NERVOUS DYSPEPSIA 

plains why so many dyspeptics have failed to be benefited 
by medical treatment. 

Nervous Dyspepsia. 
This ailment is not really a disease, only a local mani- 
festation of some nerve derangement. It differs from 
all other diseases of the stomach in this: it has no 
anatomical change and is not directly due to any altera- 
tion in size or structure of the stomach, but to some shock, 
strain, nervous exhaustion, or nerve irritation in organs 
other than the stomach. Some eminent physicians are 
disposed to charge all but contagious or infectious dis- 
eases to some functional disturbance of the nervous sys- 
tem.*but it seems that in most cases the theory of nervous 
origin is, "Putting the cart before the horse" — the effect be- 
fore the cause. Strictly speaking, the term nervous dyspep- 
sia should only be applied to diseases or symptoms which 
result from mental disturbances, such as emotional ex- 
citement, mental worry, or mental activity, too long con- 
tinued without rest; but for practical purposes it is bet- 
ter to class all derangements of the stomach directly due 
to the causes mentioned, or that are simply reflex from 
nerve irritation in other parts of the body, as .neuroses of 
the stomach. Some writers have heretofore classed both 
insufficient and excessive secretion as of nervous origin, 
doubtless because they were attended by nervous symp- 
toms. All agree that it is extremely difficult to determine 
the dividing line between cause and effect. We have in 
the preceding pages shown how the system may poison 
itself, and if the blood contains crude or poisonous matter, 
it is very likely to affect the nervous system. If the food 
supply be of such a character that it cannot be digested, 
the whole system will be weakened, and fatigue follow 
very little exertion, and if lack of nourishment affects the 
muscles and the sensibilities, why not the central nervous 



NERVOUS DYSPEPSIA 337 

system? On the other hand, a debilitated nervous sys- 
tem, from extraordinary worry or loss of sleep, affects the 
stomach. As to whether the nervous system or the stom- 
ach is the primary cause of the nervous symptoms, would 
seem to depend on the causes in operation likely to 
produce them. If there were some cause of extraor- 
dinary worry and loss of sleep, the indigestion should be 
considered as of nervous origin, but if there were a dispo- 
sition toward unusual worry about trifles in connection 
with nervous symptoms, it is most likely due to some 
form of mal-nutrition, or self-poisoning. But few people 
would be overworked or over-worried if they were prop- 
erly nourished; and by this we do not mean that there 
has necessarily been a lack of nutritious foods. It may 
be because of the inability of the system to assimilate the 
food as it is supplied. As people mistreat their stomachs 
much more than their nervous systems, it is safe to con- 
sider that, primarily, it is not overwork that causes most 
nervous attacks, but lack of good blood and excess of 
poisonous waste in the system. This is well illustrated 
by the general anaemic condition, common to most per- 
sons suffering from nervous dyspepsia. The disease is 
much more common to women than men, and more fre- 
quent under forty years of age than after the middle 
period of life. 

Nervous dyspepsia has no uniform symptoms, as there 
may be lack of gastric secretion and muscular activity, 
an excess of secretion, or extreme irritability of the nerves 
of the stomach. 

Symptoms. 

Where there is lack of secretion, or lack of muscular 
activity, the symptoms are much less marked than the 
other conditions. Vomiting only takes place w r hen the 
food has long remained in the stomach and become de- 



338 VOMITING IN PREGNANCY 

composed. In the mild form there is not much pain, but 
a sinking sensation, or one of great fullness is felt after 
eating, which may be accompanied by slight nausea and 
dizziness. In severe cases the stomach will not tolerate 
any food at all, and vomiting occurs almost as soon as the 
food reaches the stomach. Some of the symptoms of 
nervous dyspepsia are found in other diseases of the stom- 
ach, but there is usually something about each that indi- 
cates to which class it belongs. In catarrh of the stomach 
the disagreeable sensations do not arise until some time 
after the meals, usually three or four hours, unless there 
is an acute attack and great irritation of the stomach. In 
some cases there is excessive sensitiveness of the mucous 
membrane of the stomach, and the pain severe and the 
stomach sensitive to pressure. The pain is more general 
than in ulcer, and has but little relation to meals or kind 
of food, while the pain from ulcer is much more intense 
when coarse vegetables or acids are ingested, than when 
the stomach is empty or when soft-proteid foods like milk 
and eggs are eaten. In the form of nervous dyspepsia 
known as gastralgia, the pain in the region of the stom- 
ach seemingly radiates in all directions. It occurs quite 
independently of meals. In neurasthenia, the symptoms 
and pain are generally out of proportion to any discover- 
able disease, and often occur when there has been no 
previous history of dyspepsia. Another characteristic of 
nervous dyspepsia is belching of air or gas, without re- 
gard to whether the stomach is full or empty. In other 
diseases of the stomach the belching only appears when 
there is gaseous fermentation of food in the stomach. 
When more or less food is brought up instead of gas, it 
is called regurgitation, which often precedes nervous vom- 
iting. Sometimes the openings of the stomach are closed 
by a nervous spasm, or the pyloric end may, for a time, 



DIET IN NERVOUS DYSPEPSIA 33£ 

refuse to close and the food at once passes into the in- 
testines, causing diarrhoea. 

Vomiting in Pregnancy. 

This is usually called "morning sickness," and appears 
after rising in the morning, when the patient feels faint, 
"light-headed" and nauseated. When this occurs, slowly 
sip a cup of hot milk or meat broth, and eat a dry biscuit 
(cracker) and remain in bed for two or three hours. If 
the stomach be foul, drink a cup of hot water instead of 
milk, without food. 

Aids to Treatment of Nervous Dyspepsia. 

If the attack be due to overwork or worry, rest is the 
first requisite; but if from emotional excitement, change 
in surroundings and something to divert the mind is of 
great importance. When there is general neurasthenia or 
hysteria, the patient should be put to bed and kept free 
from excitement and away from visitors. 

Diet. 

The diet must be easily digested, nutritious, and non- 
irritating. If the stomach be inactive, so that it does not 
readily empty itself, the diet must be of such character as 
will not quickly ferment. The principal foods should be 
malted milk — pasteurized or sterilized — cream, soft- 
cooked or whipped eggs, eggnog, malted gluten, meat 
broths, in acute cases. Such additional foods as meat- 
powder, toast bread, nut oils, butter, malted nuts, may 
be given as the patient progresses. If hot milk should 
be vomited, try it cold, and vice versa. It may be of great 
advantage to dilute milk with gelatine. If not convenient 
to make it, a refined gelatine, like the Keystone, may be 
used. As the appetite is often capricious, it may be of 
great advantage to flavor the food with a little vanilla, 
lemon, nutmeg, or fruit flavors. In the acute or severe 
cases, a little food should be given at short periods. It 



340 GASTRITIS 

may be necessary to begin witii a tablespoonful of milk. 
The patient must take as much nourishment as possible, 
but must not be crowded beyond what can be digested. 
When only milk is fed, it should ordinarily be given every 
two hours, in quantities of one or two ounces at a feed- 
ing for the first few feedings. Most patients will tolerate 
a pint and a half of milk the first day, and twice as much 
the second, and should be able to take eggs and other 
food the third or fourth day. All made dishes, tea, coffee, 
and fried foods, must be avoided. 

Acute and Chronic Gastritis, Usually Called Catarrh of 
the Stomach, or Bilious Attacks. 

These are the most common of all diseases in the United 
States, except colds. Very few people escape occasional 
gastric attacks, although they may not be willing to admit 
the fact. It is indeed a strange thing that people will 
insist that almost anything ails them except some form 
of indigestion or mal-nutrition. 

Gastritis, or catarrh of the stomach, is the every-<iay 
dyspepsia of the world. Its causes, briefly re-stated, are 
as follows: 

Excess of food, incompatible, irritating or decompos- 
ing food, poison taken in or originating in the body, ex- 
cessive heat, and disease of other organs, especially the 
intestines. 

Symptoms. 

In the ordinary catarrh of the stomach any of the follow- 
ing symptoms may be felt: 

Headache, offensive breath, "bad taste" in the mouth, 
drowsiness, nausea, loss of appetite, great thirst, vertigo, 
vomiting, belching some hours after meals, constipation 
or diarrhoea, lassitude, aching limbs, cramps of the 
muscles of the leg, pain after eating, flatulence, heartburn, 
difficult breathing, palpitation of the heart, stomach feels 



SYMPTOMS OF GASTRITIS 341 

like it had a weight in it, tenderness of the stomach, erup- 
tion on the lips, tongue raw, red or coated, lack of energy, 
chilly sensations and coldness or numbness of hands and 
feet. 

The acute attacks are generally called "bilious attacks," 
and occur most frequently in the night. The patient will 
usually be wakened by pain, and in some cases there is a 
feeling of nausea, followed by vomiting and relief. They 
may occur from only slight or accidental causes, but when 
the ailment becomes more or less continuous theyarethen 
termed chronic. Gastric attacks are often so severe that 
the patient thinks death imminent, although in no danger 
whatever. Acute gastritis occurs at all ages, while chronic 
gastritis usually occurs in middle age or late in life, due 
to slowly-progressive indigestion. In acute cases there 
is only congestion ; but when chronic, there are structural 
changes in the stomach, deficiency in digestive secretions, 
an excessive secretion of mucus, loss of absorptive power 
and muscular activity. When this condition exists, foods 
difficult to dissolve, like salt lean meat, especially when 
fried, and coarse vegetables, will disagree. This will also 
be true of foods that ferment quickly, such as custard 
puddings, tapioca, sweet and sweetened fruits, vinegar 
with starch of any kind. Milk, without any alteration, 
will usually disagree, because the stomach is not suffi- 
ciently active to break up the curds. 

Diet. 

In extremely severe cases it may be necessary for the 
patient to live on milk, diluted with gelatine, or barley 
water, or it may be malted and used to great advantage 
with malted gluten. All fried foods must be eschewed, 
and except in acute attacks, all soups, mushes and gruels 
must be sparingly used. The diet must consist mainly of 
dry foods, thoroughly masticated. Saliva and thorough 



342 DIET IN GASTRITIS 

mastication will do more for a damaged stomach than 
almost all other remedies. The stomach must be strength- 
ened, by giving it as much work as it can do and no more. 
It can never get strong without plenty of nourishing 
food, and "slops" will not do. The. curse of the Ameri- 
can stomach is slops, water and chunks. This unfavorable 
mention of water would probably please a Kentucky 
colonel, but the objection is only in the manner of using 
it. Dyspeptics need to eat as great variety of food as pos- 
sible, but it must be done discreetly. Foods that ferment 
quickly, must be avoided, or when used, it must be on 
an empty stomach, or with easily-digested foods. If the 
digestive secretions are deficient, meat will be poorly 
tolerated, and an exclusive diet of meat and eggs for two 
or three days will determine this. The cereals are the 
best reliance, although if complicated with severe intesti- 
nal disorders, only gluten should be used, with such foods 
as meat, milk and eggs. As an aid to curing constipation, 
there is nothing equal to the bran of cereals, when finely 
ground. If not convenient to take foods containing 
fine bran, it will be advisable to boil it for three hours, 
then roast until brown. It should then be ground as fine 
as possible. If desired, flavoring matter may be added 
to make it palatable. Graham bread is objectionable, be- 
cause the bran is too coarse. Where the stomach is 
greatly inflamed, sour fruits are not allowable, but in 
chronic cases of mere sluggishness they are of great ben- 
efit, if eaten at proper time, without sugar. If too sour, a 
little bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) may be added 
while cooking. Sweet fruits may be eaten when the stom- 
ach is empty, but if it contains the residue of a meal that 
has soured, they will quickly produce flatulence. When 
the stomach is very weak, it will be necessary to take 
small quantities of food every two or three hours during" 



EXCESSIVE SECRETION 343 

the day; but in chronic cases, where the stomach will 
do its work, if given plenty of time, two meals a day, eight 
or nine hours apart, will be far better than three or more. 
The patient must early learn that a suitable diet will do 
far more to effect a cure than any drugs. As an artifi- 
cial aid to digestion, very good results are sometimes ob- 
tained from malt tea. It may be made as follows : 

Take three or four large tablespoonfuls of malt and 
steep it in a half-pint of cold water ten or twelve hours. 
Decant, bottle, and keep in cold place. One or two table- 
spoonfuls may be used at meals with a little milk and 
hot water. 

Diseases of Excessive Secretion. Hyperchlorhydria, Hy- 
persecretion and Ulcer. 

These diseases are closely related and usually repre- 
sent the first, second and third stages, although it is 
claimed that hypersecretion may commence suddenly. 
Causes of Excessive Secretion. 

Excessive use of alcohol, mustard, pepper and other 
condiments. The use of ices. Too rapid eating for a 
number of years. Indigestible food, grief, worry and pres- 
sure on the stomach. The disease may commence sud- 
denly or gradually. 

Symptoms. 

The principal symptoms in excessive secretion is pain. 
It may begin with mere uneasiness, one or two hours after 
meals, or with sharp, stinging pain. The excessive 
amount of acid irritates the stomach, and as soon as diges- 
tion in the stomach is completed (usually from two to' 
three hours) the pain begins. In severe cases there may 
be an attack after every meal, the one after breakfast will 
be the lightest, and the one after dinner the most severe. 
Often a little hot acid liquid will be belched. The pain is 
often sharp and severe, and is usually called cramps. It 



344 EXCESSIVE SECRETION 

may be relieved by taking a drink of water, which dilutes 
the irritating acid, or by eating a soft egg. 

Appetite is usually good and the tongue clean. There 
is no flatulence; no feeling of fullness. If meat or eggs 
be given every three hours, and it is well tolerated, it is 
suggestive of excessive secretion, because meats are slowly 
dfgested, when the secretion is deficient. If nothing but 
starch be taken when there is excessive secretion, it may 
remain in the stomach a day or two. The symptoms of 
excessive secretion are different from other diseases in 
this: In nervous dyspepsia, there is no time relation to 
meals. In gastritis there is more nausea and flatulence, 
ar furred tongue, and the pain less sharp, and not relieved 
by food. 

This is, ordinarily, only an advanced state of excessive 
secretion, although some specialists say that it may begin 
suddenly, but, in such cases, it is more than probable that 
it is a sudden manifestation of what has long existed. 
The symptoms are similar to excessive secretion, only 
more pronounced. Hunger is more acute. Patient may 
wake up in the night with an "all gone" sensation, and if 
nothing be eaten, there will be severe pair.. Thirst is con- 
stant, especially at night. The attacks are generally worse 
in the middle of the night, and last two or three hours, 
and terminate by vomiting, which relieves the pain. An- 
other characteristic symptom is diarrhoea in the night, 
due to the excessive acid condition of the food discharged 
into the intestines, and to the large quantities of fluid 
drank. This may be followed by constipation. Notwith- 
standing the voracious appetite, and large amount of food 
eaten, the patient usually gets thinner. The tongue is sel- 
dom furred, and likely to be very red, Probably the 
easiest way to distinguish hypersecretion from other dis- 
eases, is by the matter vomited. If the vomit shows that 



DIET IN EXCESSIVE SECRETION 345 

the lean meat is practically all dissolved, and the bread-stuff 
unchanged, it points strongly to hypersecretion. Where 
the excessive secretion has long been continued, the 
stomach is almost certain to be dilated. 

Diet. 

A meat diet is usually prescribed in excessive secretion, 
on the theory that 'meats are easily digested in an acid 
stomach, and starches difficult. This is true. And it is 
also true that meat furnishes the system more hydro- 
chloric acid than any other food. Now, in excessive se- 
cretion, the objeet is to reduce it, and what more rational 
method can be proposed than to withhold foods that make 
most hydrochloric acid? Diet in this disease must be as 
bland as possible, and as milk is well tolerated, if diluted 
as heretofore described, it is the best of all foods. Of 
meats, fresh fish is the easiest digested, and of most serv- 
ice in excessive secretion. 

In catarrh of the stomach it is necessary to have the food 
finely divided, so that it can be dissolved. In excessive se- 
cretion, it is necessary to have it as fine as can be pow- 
dered, so that it will not irritate the stomach, and excite the 
secretion of more acid. 

The chief difficulty is in the digestion of starches, and it 
is not easy to prevent loss of weight without them. Con- 
tinued loss of weight, means loss of strength, and great 
care must be taken to maintain it. Bromose (malted 
nuts), cream, nut oils, and the fat of boiled ham, will be 
useful in furnishing fuel for the body. If the stomach can 
be washed out once a day, considerable dry toast may be 
eaten soon after, if taken without any liquid, and thor- 
oughly mixed with saliva. Malt will also be serviceable, 
and malted gluten should be used in preference to meat or 
meat powder. Sour fruits are not suitable, but such fruits 
as bananas, sweet grapes .and pears can be eaten, unless 



346 ULCER 

there be dilatation of the stomach. In such cases foods 
that ferment quickly must be avoided. The cereals must 
be extra well cooked, and then roasted brown and pow- 
dered, and tKen eaten dry. If the stomach is not washed, 
a half pint or pint of cold water or moderately cold alka- 
line mineral water may be drank a half hour before meals 
and before retiring at night. Mucilaginous drinks, made 
by steeping "slippery elm" (ulmus fulva) in cold water, 
may be drank before or after meals. 

If there is no dilatation of the stomach, the patient 
should eat as often as every four hours. The bowels 
should be kept active by massage. All irritating sub- 
stances such as pepper, mustard, raw vegetables, vinegar, 
sage and cheese, must be shunned as enemies. A few 
grains of salt may be used in the food, but the less the 
better. Very hot drinks are absolutely prohibited, espec- 
ially where there is a possibility of ulcer. 

Ulcer. 

The question is sometimes asked, why don't the stom- 
ach digest itself? If an animal or human being be sud- 
denly killed during digestion, the stomach will digest 
itself to a considerable extent. In the living stomach it is 
supposed that a continuous supply of fresh blood protects 
it from its own secretion. It would follow that if the cir- 
culation in some part was partially, or wholly destroyed, 
that the stomach might dissolve itself. In excessive secre- 
tion, the strong acid probably erodes the membranes in 
the stomach, which develop into ulcer, if the causes pro- 
ducing the erosion are long continued. 

Probably the principal cause is pressure on the stomach, 
from a faulty system of dress. Other causes are indi- 
gestion, irritating foods, and a general neurotic condition 
of the system which seems to be closely associated with 
ulcer. It is most commonly found in females between the 
ages of twenty and forty. 



DIET IN ULCER 347 

The common location of ulcer is near the pyloric end 
of the stomach or on the anterior wall. It is also found 
in the intestines. The most characteristic symptom is 
pain at the exact spot of the ulcer, and immediately op- 
posite in the back. The stomach is often sensitive to pres- 
sure from other diseases, but in ulcer it is particularly sen- 
sitive to pressure at the exact spot where it is located. 
The pain follows the ingestion of foods, and bread 
or vegetables give much more than milk or soft eggs. If 
vomiting takes place, the pain is relieved. One of the 
symptoms most relied on is hemorrhages, and when blood 
is vomited, and attended by the other symptoms com- 
mon to ulcer, it is almost conclusive that ulcer exists. The 
patient generally grows progressively thinner, unless prop- 
erly treated, and when fatal dies of starvation or perfor- 
ation. There is a form of ulcer called peptic ulcer, in 
which the characteristic symptoms of ulcer are absent. 
These cases are rare, but extremely difficult to diagnose. 

A patient with ulcer of the stomach should be put to 
bed, and no foood given in the regular way, except sips 
of ice water or cracked ice. The nourishment must be 
administered through the rectum, until the ulcer heals. 
The rectum must first be cleansed by an injection of 
water, and then about three to four ounces of pancreatin- 
ized meat powder, milk, or milk and eggs pancreatinized, 
should be administered. Some use a 20# solution of 
sugar, 'beaten with three eggs. Whichever nourished the 
patient most should be used, but ordinarily eggs and 
milk, equal parts, with a pinch of salt, will be found most 
useful. Five or six feedings a day will be necessary, 
and one of them must be water, to be retained for absorp- 
tion, as water is as necessary as food. 

When the stomach is healed sufficiently, feeding may 
be resumed by giving a teaspoonful of cold milk to begin 



348 CANCER 

with, but it would be advisable to first cleanse the mouth 
with some antiseptic wash. A few grains of powdered 
boracic acid with a little water and tooth brush will 
answer. If a teaspoonful of milk is tolerated, two tea- 
spoonfuls may be given at the second feeding and so on, 
increasing slowly, until the patient can take four or more 
ounces at a feeding, every two or three hours. As feed- 
ing by the stomach is resumed, the rectal feeding should be 
discontinued at a rate of one feeding a day. The principal 
diet in ulcer is milk and ice cream, which should be plain- 
ly made. It would be well not to be too hasty in in- 
creasing the diet in ulcer, for it may be necessary to live 
op milk and ice cream for some months. The first ad- 
dition to the milk except milk diluents, that is allowable, 
is one egg beaten and eaten with the milk. Hot dishes 
are positively forbidden, as they are likely to cause 
hemorrhage. During convalescence the diet should be 
similar to that in excessive secretion. 

Cancer of the stomach is so uncommon, as to scarcely 
deserve mention. Various theories as to its origin have 
been proposed, but they are purely speculative. The 
origin is unknown, further than that it appears to be a 
hereditary tendency in a few families. It usually appears 
in middle life or old age. In the early stages of cancer it 
is difficult to diagnose as the symptoms resemble other 
forms of dyspepsia. 

Cancer has one characteristic different from all other 
diseases of the stomach. It is steadily progressive, and 
the end soon reached. There is a gradual loss of weight, 
tumor in the region of the stomach, frequent vomiting, 
and there may be either constipation or diarrhoea. Nearly 
all the diseases of the stomach are more or less intermit- 
tent, except cancer, and it is usually fatal in less than a 
year and a half. If the disease has been recurrent, or con- 



ENLARGED STOMACH 349 

tinued for a much longer time than stated, it is not a can- 
cer. The diet should consist of milk, eggs, meat powder, 
nut meal, baked apples, cream and nut oils. 

The stomach is an elastic pouch, and when it is filled 
with large quantities of food, water or gas, it becomes dis- 
tended. This weakens its walls, and whenever it will not 
contract to its natural size, after being distended, it is 
said to be dilated. Prior to 1885, dilatation of the stomach 
had received but little or no attention, and the relation it 
bore to many diseases was unknown. 

The direct cause is continued over-distention, from 
either food, water or gas. The injury of over-eating is 
well known, but over-drinking is equally bad, though not 
so common a cause of dilatation of the stomach. Dis- 
tention from gas results from the putrefaction of foods 
due to indigestion or partial closing of the pylorus, called 
stricture. Whatever prevents the stomach emptying be- 
tween meals, will cause abnormal fermentation and dis- 
tention from gas. These causes have been discussed so 
thoroughly under causes of disease of the stomach, they 
need not again be repeated. 

The symptoms are both local and general. It often 
happens that the stomach symptoms are not very pro- 
nounced, and both patient and physician are misled. Of 
the local symptoms, flatulency is the most common. 
When the stomach is most distended, the abdominal out- 
line is greatly enlarged. If this be due to gases, the en- 
largement begins at the lower end of the sternum, but 
when due to the use of large quantities of water and beer 
the enlargement of the abdomen is lower. The different 
aspects compared with the natural outline (side view of 
male form) are illustrated in figure VI. Dotted line at A 
shows prominence of dilated stomach, beginning at end of 
the sternum, while dotted line at B merely shows dis- 




Fig.vr 

Side view of male figure. 

A shows prominence due to dilated stomach , without abdominal d i stention 
B shows abdominal distention common in obesity, etc. Both con- 
ditions frequently exist in same person. 

350 



,)— 



E. 




Fig.M. 



A Cardiac opening of the stomach. B Normal py- 
loric end. C Constricted pyloric end. D Gall bladder. 
E Opening of gall bladder into intestines. F Greater 
curvature of the stomach. G Lesser curvature. H Out- 
line of dilated stomach. I Folds of stomach J douodenum. 



351 



352 SYMPTOMS IN DILATATION 

tended abdomen. Where both conditions exist, the en- 
largement begins at A, and extends with increasing prom- 
inence to abdomen. We have seen a few cases where the 
stomach was so greatly dilated, that it would hold over 
four gallons. A simple way to estimate the size of a 
patient's stomach is to administer seidlitz powders un- 
mixed, or by inflating with inserted stomach tube. Have 
the patient lie flat on the back. This will indicate the 
marginal outlines of the stomach. In most cases of di- 
latation, there will be but very little pain, but where there 
is stricture of the pylorus, it is usually preceded by ulcer 
and excessive secretion, which are both painful. 

Figure VII shows natural stomach, and dotted lines 
indicate a dilated stomach due to stricture of the pylorus. 
In these cases the outlet of the stomach is narrowed by 
ulcers or inflammations, until the stomach is unable to 
empty. These can only be helped by surgical operation. 
In ordinary dilatation there is but little pain, but a feeling 
of fullness and weight at the stomach is almost constantly 
present. There is also frequent belching of gas, which 
begins two or three hours after meals. Sour liquid or 
food will often be brought up with the gas and "heart- 
burn" will likely be a common symptom. The general 
symptoms of dilatation can hardly be enumerated. Ap- 
petite may be very good, excessive or poor. Tongue 
usually coated; person may be thin or corpulent; often 
the latter. Constipation is persistent, but sometimes alter- 
nated by diarrhoea. The feces are fetid, because of the 
putrefaction it has undergone. Dull head-ache and nerv- 
ousness are common, and frequently there is great sensi- 
bility to cold. Exertion quickly exhausts. Persistent 
insomnia is a strong indication of a dilated stomach, and 
vertigo, unusual vision, dropsy of the limbs, numbness, 
cold extremities, flushing of the face, night sweats, 



DIfcT IN DILATATION 353 

asthma, neuralgia, eczema, are due to poisonous matter 
taken into the blood from putrefying food. One of the 
most alarming and sometimes fatal effects due to dilata- 
tion is palpitation of the heart. The enlarged stomach 
presses the diaphragm upward against the neart, causing 
heart failure. Many cases of sudden death in the night 
are accompanied with the announcement that the person 
ate a hearty supper, which probably caused the stomach 
to be distended with gas, and that in turn displaced the 
heart and caused heart failure. Too many people imagine 
that because their digestive organs do not double them 
over with pain, that they are all right, whereas if their 
food supply and digestion were all right, and the waste 
eliminated there would ordinarily <be no distressing 
symptoms of any kind, except from contagious diseases. 

Diet. 
The diet must be free from bacteria, and of a character 
that does not quickly ferment. As a general rule, the 
digestive secretions will be deficient in a dilated stomach. 
This is especially true of chronic cases of long standing. 
Where the pylorus is partly contracted, so that the outlet 
of the stomach is reduced, there will likely be excessive 
secretion, and then the stomach has to contend with its 
own acid, and those due to excessive fermentation. These 
cases however, are not the ordinary ones. When the 
stomach is dilated, plain milk will usually disagree. It 
should be taken with a teaspoon, and each spoonful kept 
in the mouth a while (a minute or two). The food should 
be dry, and no drinks taken with it. All starchy food 
should be cooked an extra long time, and cereals should 
be both boiled and roasted. Fresh doughy bread must be 
avoided entirely, and all bread should be thoroughly 
baked, and should then be sliced, and baked again. 
Sugar and sweet fruits, sweetened pastry, syrup, preserves, 



354 DIET IN DILATATION 

jellies, and all sweetened foods, must be kept out of the 
dietary. Cooked, roasted, ground and crushed cereals, 
should be substituted as far as possible for bread, so as to 
avoid the yeast ferment and baking powders. Granose 
biscuits are as good a food for dilated stomachs as can 
be found. All cured meats and preserved foods are to be 
avoided, also all fried foods. Meat and eggs can only 
be partaken of in small quantities, and must never be fried. 
Peas and beans will be too solid, unless ground. So will 
nuts, but finely powdered nut meal with sour fruits will 
often agree better than any other food. Such stimulating 
foods as cooked onions without fat. may be useful Fine- 
ly ground wHeat bran will be a great aid, as it stimulates 
the digestive organs without obstructing or causing an 
excessive irritation. All stale fruits or other foods, except 
bread, are likely to ferment quickly, and are therefore not 
suitable. Rancid butter, or hot butter is bad under any 
circumstances, and particularly so for slow stomachs. 
Sterilized cream, nut oils, and the fat of ham or bacon, 
should be the only fats used. All free fats are objection- 
able, and this excludes all gravies. Malted gluten can 
always be used, and malt tea is an aid to starch digestion. 
The patient must be encouraged to eat plenty of food, as 
too little food means loss of strength, to resist disease. 
This can be accomplished by variety of foods and use of 
flavors. It would seem to be hardly necessary to say that, 
pickles, pastry, condiments, tea, coffee, tobacco and beer 
should be left for those who have no regard for their own 
welfare. In the beginning, the dietetic treatment of dila- 
tation it is essential to first cleanse the stomach. This 
should be done with a siphon, but if it is not done, the 
next best process is to eat a light dinner, a light supper, 
and then, on the following morning, drink a half pint or 
more of alkaline mineral water, an hour before breakfast, 
and then knead the stomach and abdomen for at least 



HYGIENE IN DILATATION 355 

twenty minutes. If mineral water is not obtainable, a suit- 
able substitute should be prescribed. No headway can be 
made as long as there is foul matter in the stomach. Hot 
water drinking will usually do more harm than good, be- 
cause the stomach is already too much relaxed. After the 
stomach is cleansed, the mouth should receive attention. 
The food must not be contaminated by decaying matter 
in the mouth. Lemon juice will cleanse the tongue and 
membranes, but it should not be swallowed. For the 
teeth, any suitable wash may be employed or soap, and a 
brush will answer. The teeth must be kept in condition to 
masticate the food, and they must be well used for that 
purpose. After the stomach and mouth are thoroughly 
cleansed, begin the diet with sterilized or pasteurized milk 
and malted gluten; or a soft boiled egg with granose bis- 
cuit or some other whole wheat food, that has been twice 
cooked. Meals must be regular and not closer than eight 
hours apart, except in acute attacks. Exercise, baths and 
pleasant surroundings are all important aids, and should 
be combined with regular habits. Every patient must be 
impressed with the fact that the diet and habits are far 
more to be relied on than drugs. The notion that 
chronic stomach troubles can be cured by drugs alone 
cannot be too quickly dispelled. 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

DISEASES OF THE INTESTINES, PANCREAS AND LIVER. 

We have heretofore described (Chapter II) the gen- 
eral structure and functions of the intestines, but we might 
again emphasize the fact that a very important part of 
digestion takes place here, and that the intestines are not 
a smooth channel for the escape of waste, but have nu- 
merous folds and tongue-like projections which are so 
constructed that they absorb portions of the food which 
is then mixed with the blood, and carried mainly to the 
liver. 

Now if the food remains in the intestines too long a time, 
poisonous matter may be generated and carried into the 
general circulation. This may also result from imperfect 
digestion, as the entire intestinal tract contains bacteria of 
various kinds, some of which are likely to be very active 
when there is any defect in natural processes. The ordi- 
ary diseases of tEe intestines are such as hinder digestion, 
absorption and the elimination of waste. Chief among 
these is constipation, and it can be truly said that there is 
no ailment in America so common. 

No definition would seem to be needed for a disease so 
nearly universal, and yet there are many mistaken notions 
as to what symptoms clearly indicate its existence. It is 
generally supposed that daily, or at least frequent stools, is 
conclusive, that no constipation exists, whereas nature 
may make frequent attempts, yet be unable to fully clear 
herself. Whenever the waste of the food is not regularly 
and completely discharged, there is constipation, no mat- 
ter how frequent the stools. 

These may be enumerated as follows : 

857 



358 CAUSES OF CONSTIPATION 

1st The habit of eating food that contains too little 
waste, ordinarily called cellulose. 

2nd. Imperfect mastication of food — too rapid eating. 

3rd. Ice water, and iced drinks generally, also iced 
foods. 

4th. Failure to drink sufficient fluids between meals. 

5th. Improper admixture of foods. 

6th. Over eating, i. e., eating so much food that the 
stomach is unduly distended. 

7th. Eating too little food. 

8th. Astringent foods and drinks. 

9th. Insufficient exercise. , 

fOth. Lack of peristaltic movements of the bowels. 

11th. Neglect to evacute the bowels daily. 

12th. Irregularity in eating. 

13th. Hereditary weakness. 

14th. Insufficient secretions of the various digestive 
organs. 

15th. Eating coarse, insoluble substances. 

16th. Over-distention of the abdominal wall. 

17th. Malaria. 

18th. Drugs, especially cathartics, opiates and astring- 
ents. 

19th. Mental influences. 

20th. Chronic diseases of the mucous membranes. 

21st. Excessive perspiration. 

22nd. Dilatation of the rectum from repeated injec- 
tions of large quantities of water. 

23rd. (a) Pressure on intestines. This may come from 
tight waist bands, corsets, belts or clothing. 

(b) Stooping posture, common to seamstresses, stu- 
dents, bicycle riders and others. 

(c) From pregnancy. This results both from pressure 
and from general inactivity of the bowels, common to this 
condition. 



EFFECTS OF CONSTIPATION 359 

24th. Disease. 

The effects of constipation are so far-reaching, as to be 
well-nigh indescribable — they cannot be enumerated. 
There is always danger that toxic substances will be ab- 
sorbed into the system, which may cause merely a feeling 
of discomfort, or disease of any organ of the body. Aside 
from this, accumulation of feca! matter will likely dilate 
the intestines so that they permanently lose their con- 
tractile power. This is one of the reasons why chronic 
constipation is so hard to cure. It is also a source of 
pelvic and genital irritation out of which arise immorality 
and even crime. Hemorrhoids (piles) is another common 
effect of constipation, although they may have other 
causes. The most common symptom of constipation is 
general lassitude. When toxic substances, caused by re- 
tained fecal matter or mal-fermentation of foods, are 
absorbed, the nervous system is quickly affected. Some- 
times there will be increased activity, and a feeling of 
unusual vigor, followed by flushes of heat, which cause 
the face to burn. This, the laity often mistake for fever, 
and the general symptoms of auto-intoxication are often 
supposed to be malaria even by physicians in high stand- 
ing. Other manifestations of constipation and self poi- 
soning are headache, indolence, dullness, sleeplessness, 
stupor, loss of appetite, vertigo, burning sensations in the 
stomach, tenderness of the gastric region, foul breath, 
flatulence, palpitation of the heart, pain in the back, and 
a moody and irritable disposition. 

The use of cathartics — except immediate results be abso- 
lutely necessary — must be discontinued. This also ap- 
plies to all habits that are contrary to proper living as 
heretofore laid down. Meals must be regular every day, 
including Sunday, and ordinarily should not be closer than 
six hours for three meals a day, and eight hours from 



360 BRAN IN CONSTIPATION 

breakfast to dinner, with two meals a day. This is im- 
perative. Foods must be properly cooked, and incompat- 
ible foods, though wholesome, must not be eaten at the 
same time. The practice of eating sour fruits and then 
oat meal and milk, is a good illustration. The porridge^ 
is likely to get but little saliva, and its action be imme- 
diately arrested by the acid previously taken. Salivary 
digestion will ordinarily be arrested in the stomach, by 
its secretions, in twenty or thirty minutes after food is 
ingested, and no acid should ever be taken with starchy 
foods, nor sooner than twenty minutes afterward. 

It is very important that all food be thoroughly masti- 
cated, because it facilitates digestion, prevents gaseous 
distention and obstruction of the bowels, The quantity 
must also be adapted — neither too little nor too great ex- 
cess. Too little food weakens, and too much over-works 
and in a sense, paralyzes. No food exerts as good effect 
on sluggish bowels as fine bran. Coarse bran used in 
Graham bread — frequently prescribed by physicians — 
sometimes obstructs the bowels and leads to grave con- 
sequences. 

Next to over-eating, the habit of drinking large quanti- 
ties of coffee, tea, or ice water, with meals must be avoided. 
The digestive secretions must not be greatly diluted. Small 
quantities of moderately warm fluid may be taken with 
meals, but the habit of pouring in liquids three times as 
fast as they can be absorbed, greatly interferes with diges- 
tion. Every constipated person should make it a regular 
practice to take a drink of water about four hours after 
meals, at bed time, and a half hour before breakfast. As- 
tringent foods such as blackberries, raspberries, blueber- 
ries, elderberries, persimmons, quinces, some varieties 
(puckery ones) of pears are constipating and should be 
avoided. Those who take but little exercise, should par- 



DIET IN CONSTIPATION 361 

take sparingly of white bread, eggs, milk, lean meat, 
sugar, and all alcoholic liquors. These have too little 
waste material for an exclusive diet, except for such labor 
as gives great abdominal, as well as general exercise. 
Torpid bowels must have some stimulation, from bran, 
fiber, seeds or acids. On account of the fine bran, digest- 
ibility, and nourishing properties, the health foods hereto- 
fore described are great aids in the cure and prevention 
of constipation. It is not desirable to use irritating sub- 
stances to such an extent as to cause the intestines to lose 
their sensibility. This is very important and often over- 
looked. Bran is nature's specific for constipation, but as 
modern man has become accustomed to have all food 
ground, it is almost impossible to get any one to suf- 
ficiently masticate it without regrinding. Where foods 
containing fine bran cannot be had, it may be washed, 
boiled, roasted and reground, and then eaten with any, 
food or flavor most palatable. There is no reason why the 
bran so treated should not be mixed with flour — one part 
to three or four of flour — and made into bread. Nearly 
all garden vegetables contain a large amount of fiber, but 
because of their coarseness they are hard to digest and 
often fail to produce the desired effect, because of the flatu- 
lence they may produce. An intestine distended with 
gas, cannot contract and propel its contents. 

Some foods affect the nervous system of a few persons, 
so that they act on the bowels at once. Idiosyncrasies 
must always be reckoned with, but the following are the 
most useful of the foods that might be classed as laxative: 

Water; wheat preparations containing fine bran; rolled 
oats; 'bran boiled, roasted and reground; corn bread, corn 
mush and rye bread; string beans, (fiber); greens, (fiber); 
strawberries, (acid and seeds); figs, (seeds); apples, (acid 
and water); peaches, (acid and water); lemons and 
oranges, (acids) ; cream and nut oils. 



362 LAXATIVE FOODS 

Exercise is a great aid to good health, but its effect on 
constipation is somewhat exaggerated. There are many 
whose employment requires great activity, but yet they 
suffer from constipation. The exercise that directly com- 
bats constipation must be abdominal, which requires 
movements of the body rather than the legs. Striking, 
bending backward and forward, and kneading the abdo- 
men from right to left and downward, is almost certain to 
be effective. Alternate hot and cold douches of the abdo- 
men are sometimes very effective. The influence of the 
mind is far greater than many suppose. A determination 
to stool at a certain time every day is very important. The 
modern closet is very faulty as the sitting posture is un- 
natural. The weight of the body should be borne on the 
feet and arms without any pressure on the buttocks. 

Whatever aids the general health is of value, and must 
not be lost sight of. 

Proper clothing, baths, ventilation of shops and houses, 
with ample time for sleep, combined with a suitable diet as 
herein outlined, will make the old feel young, and give the 
young renewed energy. 

Diarrhoea. 

This is also a very common complaint, and a common 
effect of constipation. When fecal matter is long retained 
in the bowels it may cause an irritation and diarrhoea — 
nature's way of relieving herself. This is a frequent 
source of diarrhoea — the kind that alternates with consti- 
pation. Other causes of diarrhoea are indigestion, an ex- 
cessively acid chyme, poisonous ptomanies in decayed 
food, nervousness, and disease of other organs. 

Acrid and solid substances that resist the disintegrating 
action of the digestive secretions, often cause diarrhoea. 
The effect of green apples is well known. Green corn and 
peas often produce similar results. This is because of the 



DIARRHOEA ?,62> 

tough cellulose covering that envelops them. Oatmeal 
causes a few persons to have diarrhoea and large quan- 
tities of sweet cider is almost certain to produce it. What 
causes it in one, may have little or no effect on another, 
because the intestinal membrane of different persons are 
not equally sensitive to irritating substances. In case of 
indigestion, mal-fermentation may cause the intestinal 
contents to become sufficiently irritating to cause diarr- 
hoea. The diarrhoea resulting from excessive acid chyme 
usually appears in the night in connection with an attack 
of gastritis, because the stomach secretes too much acid 
which irritates the intestines as soon as it passes out of 
the stomach. In the Summer season, decaying fruit is 
a prolific source of diarrhoea. The toxic substances such 
fruit contains, deranges digestion and irritates the mucous 
membranes. Diarrhoea from nervous causes is not gen- 
eral, although it is said to be a common thing among 
soldiers before going into battle. Persons suffering from 
nervous diseases, may be subject to it, but the ordinary 
affairs of life do not produce sufficient fright, shock or 
nervous tension to cause diarrhoea. 

With the exception of nervous diarrhoea, there is al- 
ways offending matter in the intestines that causes it, and 
nature undertakes to wash it out. The use of opiates 
and astringents to keep poisonous matter in the system, by 
checking the diarrhoea is a striking example of the misuse 
of drugs. People who live properly, will not have diarr- 
hoea, but reason should teach them that offending matter 
in the bowels must be gotten rid of in some way, and the 
cause of the original irritation stopped. If the entire in- 
testinal tract could be irrigated, relief would be quick, but 
as this cannot be Bone, the next best thing is to wash out 
the lower bowel and disinfect the upper ones through the 
stomach. The lives of many children might be saved in 



364 DIET IN DIARRHOEA 

this way. Where the discharge is so exhausting as to 
drain the blood, and cause danger of collapse, inject hypo- 
dermically luke-warm water to which a little salt has 
been added. The diet in diarrhoea must be very bland. 
One of the favorite foods is the flour ball. Take wheat 
flour and tie in a fine linen or cotton cloth, and then put 
it in boiling water. Boil eight to ten hours continuously. 
Flour so treated may then be served with boiled milk. 
Some physicians advise that the solid part of the flour ball 
be peeled off and the remainder again boiled for ten 
hours. It is certain that the second boiling will do no 
harm, as flour so treated cannot be cooked too much. 
\ Next to the flour ball or in connection with it, meat juice 
' may be used. Broil a thick piece of steak lightly and 
then express the juice. 

Albumen water is also very useful. This consists of 
the white of raw eggs dissolved in water — the white of one 
or two eggs to a glass of water is sufficient. A little salt 
may be added. 

Beaten or lightly boiled eggs and milk will meet the 
needs of the system in diarrhoea. All coarse vegetables, 
sour fruits, sugar, mushes and salt meats must be left out 
of the dietary. If constipation be the cause of the diarr- 
hoea, the diet must be adapted to it as soon as the acute 
symptoms of the diarrhoea have subsided. 
Chronic Diarrhoea. 

This is a disease in which there is chronic inflammation 
of the intestines. The intestines must be relieved of all 
the work possible, and digestion performed in the stomach. 
The diet should be of meat juice and milk, diluted with 
lime water; eggs and flour ball, for variety. Raspberry 
and blackberry juice without the seeds may often be em- 
ployed with good results. Careful attention must be 
given to general hygiene. 



DYSENTERY 365 

This is a serious inflammation, usually of the large in- 
testines. There is sloughing of the glandular membranes 
and bloody mucous discharges. Diet similar to diarrhoea. 

Piles. 

This is an inflammation of the lower part of the rectum, 
caused by constipation and over-eating of highly seasoned 
or fatty food, which produces great fullness of the portal 
circulation. It is also caused by diseases of the liver, 
heart, uterus, and diseases of other organs. Avoid tea, 
strong coffee, pickles, sour fruits, all alcoholic drinks, 
green and canned corn and coarse vegetables. When 
acute stage is relieved, diet similar to that of constipation 
will probably give relief. 

Injections of hot water are very beneficial, although cold 
water will sometimes give better results. Avoid straining 
at stools, keep quiet, and especially keep the bowels active. 
Intestinal Indigestion. 

This is intended to cover various disorders of the in- 
testines, pancreas and liver, that are mainly functional. 
The stomach specialist meets a good many cases where 
the stomach is practically inactive, but intestinal digestion 
good. The faddists take such examples and construct one 
inflexible rule, and when applied to other conditions the 
wonderful cure advocated utterly fails. Another class 
have good, active stomachs and gastric digestion, but poor 
intestinal digestion. Such persons have often been treated 
by various physicians, for many years with poor results, 
because the stomach was not the seat of the disease. 
There is such close sympathy between the stomach and 
the intestines, that it is not easy to determine the real 
nature of many disorders. If the intestines fail to perform 
their functions properly, the food may be carried out be- 
fore digested or may be so long retained as to cause put- 
refaction. It is obvious that the stomach cannot empty 



366 INTESTINAL DYSPEPSIA 

itself when the outlet is clogged. On the other hand, if 
the stomach fails to perform its work and discharges its 
contents in bad condition, the symptoms will be very sim- 
ilar to those when the intestines are solely at fault 

The causes of intestinal dyspepsia are very much the 
same as those of the stomach. In most cases it will be 
found that the intestines are permanently dilated, and 
have, in a measure, lost their power to propel their con- 
tents. In such cases constipation and diarrhoea will alter- 
nate for a time, with a tendency toward one or the other. 
Among women the excessive use of sweets and strong tea 
ar.e dietetic factors, but it is probable that corset con- 
striction and the constipation of child-bearing stand out 
above all other causes. 

Among men the use of tobacco and alcoholic liquors, 
especially beer, are prominent causes. 

There will be a feeling of great fullness and weight in 
the abdomen, three or four hours after meals, accompa- 
nied with more or less pain, and there may be occasional 
vomiting without much nausea. The vomit will usually 
contain bile enough to give it a greenish cast, and when it 
is brougEt up without nausea or retching, it is one of the 
most characteristic signs of intestintal disorders. Nerv- 
ous vomiting occurs without great nausea, but it has no 
time relation to meals, and rarely brings up bile. Vio- 
lent retching in catarrh of the stomach, or attacks of 
malaria or other acute infectious diseases, often bring up 
bile, but is accompanied with intense nausea, and can 
hardly be confounded with chronic intestinal disorders. 

All foods that are hard to dissolve and quick to ferment, 
must be left out of the dietary, starch and fats are to be 
used in small quantities, without sugar, syrup, cake, pud- 
ding or preserves. All astringent fruits, vinegar, sweet 
potatoes, mashed potatoes, green or canned corn are like- 



DIET IN INTESTINAL DYSPEPSIA 367 

wise prohibiten. Cereal mushes ancl gruels are advocated 
by some for all disorders, but they will not do for intes- 
tinal dyspepsia. The cereals must be eaten in the form of 
dry unleavened bread, crackers or dry meal twice cooked. 

If there is a tendency to chronic diarrhoea, with in- 
flammation and mucous stools, the cereals must be free 
from bran, but in most cases fine bran in the bread will 
produce healthy action. When the intestinal starch diges- 
tion is bad, it is urgent that only dry bread be used, so that 
a very large amount of saliva will be secreted. This will 
insure good salivary digestion, which is always important, 
and absolutely indispensable in intestinal dyspepsia. To 
put it in another way : The food must be prepared for ab- 
sorption in the mouth and the stomach. Now as the 
stomach only digests proteid foods, it follows that they 
must be used in preference to starches for a large part ot 
the diet, and that the starches must be aseptic, extra well 
cooked, roasted and eaten dry. The foods best adapted 
are very fine wheat bran, starch (cereals) dextrinized by a 
high degree of heat, wheat gluten, malted nuts, cream, nut 
oils, fresh lean meat, stewed, roasted or 'boiled, baked ap- 
ples, baked bananas, stewed peaches, small quantities of 
baked potatoes, fisl^ milk, eggs, gelatine, bean and pea 
soup, when strained. If the patient is weak, meat juice 
will be most serviceable. Boil a thick piece of steak and 
grind and express the juice by as high a pressure as ob- 
tainable. Sweet or very sour fruit must be sparingly 
used, when there is pain or great tenderness. Four to six 
ounces of milk and hot water, or milk and cereal coffee 
may be taken with the meals, but no other drink. 
Diseases of Pancreas. 

The pancreas performs the largest part in digestion, but 
its abnormalities are the least understood of any organ of 
the body, Owing to its position in the body, it cannot be 



368 PANCREAS 

examined externally, and internally only after death. 
Apparently it does not produce any violent smyptoms, but 
experiments on animals prove that it is indispensable to 
life, and many autopsies show that the pancreas was the 
principal organ diseased. It is now believed that diabetes 
is mainly a disease of the pancreas and liver. Some of 
the most recent medical writers learnedly describe the va- 
rious structural changes produced by different diseases 
of the pancreas, but leaving out conjecture there are only 
two methods of diagnosing diseases of the pancreas, and 
that is by chemical analysis of the urine and of the stools. 
Sugar in the urine and excessive fat in the stools indicate 
disease of the pancreas. There is not much clinical expe- 
rience reported in the dietetic treatment of pancreatic dis- 
eases, but as both starches and fats are mainly dependent 
upon pancreatic secretions to render them capable of ab- 
sorption, it follows that foods of this class must be arti- 
ficially treated. Fats must be emulsified and as cream 
is the only natural emulsion it would seem to be a suitable 
food. Nut or cod-liver oil may be emulsified as follows: 
Pour the oil in a cup and add about half as much water. 
Take revolving egg beater, put blades in the oil and 
water, and then operate as rapidly as possible until the 
water finely divides the oil, and then add beaten egg 
without stopping the beating until the mixture is com- 
plete. 

Starches may be partly predigested by heat (long cook- 
ing at high temperature), by pancreatic preparations of 
commerce, and by malt extracts. (See diseases of stom- 
ach.) These methods may be used with great benefit in 
tuberculosis, anemia, and other diseases, and should be 
tried whenever there is a suspicion of pancreatic insuf- 
ficiency. Milk, wheat gluten, powdered meat, eggs and 
fish should form a large part of the diet. 



FUNCTIONS OF THE LIVER 369 

The liver is the largest organ of the body, and probably 
performs the greatest number of different functions. It is 
situated on the right side and extends below the lower 
ribs, overlapping the pyloric end of the stomach. Dur- 
ing the past few years hundreds of experiments have been 
made to determine its various functions, and from these 
experiments we learn that the liver secretes from fifteen 
to twenty-one ounces of bile in twenty-four hours; that 
bile is composed of mucus, taurocholic and glycocholic 
acids, bilirubin, biliverdin, chclesterin and the salts of 
potassium, calcium, magnesium and iron; that bile emul- 
sifies fats and increases the absorptive power of intestinal 
membranes ; that it is laxative and to a limited extent acts 
as an intestinal antiseptic. The liver changes starch and 
fat into glycogen, sometimes called animal starch. It also 
changes albumen into serum-albumen. These are the 
final changes food receives before being converted into 
heat and tissue. It is supposed that the liver acts as a 
sort of reservoir for nutriment, and that it gives out gly- 
cogen as the system needs it. Another function of the 
liver, probably equally important, is that of arresting poi- 
sons. When poisons were injected into the veins leading 
directly to the liver they produced but little or no effect; 
but when injected in blood vessels leading from the liver, 
death quickly resulted. The liver arrests poisonous sub- 
stances generated in the system, destroys the dead tissue 
of the body, and might aptly be called the supply, and the 
discharge-center of the blood. An organ with so many 
functions, must almost necessarily be subject to a great 
many disorders, so that the common question, "How is 
your liver?" may be considered almost equivalent to 
"How is your health?" 

Causes of Diseases of the Liver. 

The causes are verv numerous: but for our purpose, 
four classitvations will be sufficient: 



370 CAUSES OF ITS DISEASE 

1. Engorgement from excess of rich food and irritat- 
ing condiments. 

2. Poisons introduced into the body. 

3. Contagious and infectious diseases. 

4. Poisons generated within the system. 

The French are very fond of fat goose livers, from 
which they make a dish called "pate de foies gras." To 
obtain the livers they confine the geese separately in small 
coops and feed them all the fattening foods they can be 
made to swallow. In a short time the livers of the fowls 
become three or four times the natural size, and then the 
goose is killed. A good many people treat themselves 
as the French do the geese to make fat livers, only they 
do not kill themselves quite so suddenly as the hatchet 
does the goose. An excess of fat, such as butter, gravy, 
fat meats, shortening, with great quantities of other foods, 
produce great engorgement of the portal circulation, and 
ultimately partial or total disability of the liver. Man is 
supposed to be a creature of reason, yet it is difficult to 
understand why so many poison themselves. It can only 
be accounted for on the theory mentioned in the begin- 
ning of the book, that the animal nature is stronger 
than the intellectual. The most common illustration of 
this is found in alcoholic poisoning. The human system 
can only burn up a small quantity of alcohol, and when a 
considerable amount is ingested, most of it must be ex- 
creted. Just what function the liver performs in this 
work has not been satisfactorily determined, but when al- 
cohol can be found nowhere else in the system after its 
ingestion, it may be found in abundance in the liver. It 
is probable that the liver holds a large amount of alcohol: 
until it can be gradually excreted, and because of this 
function of the liver it is usually the most injured of any 
organ in the body when alcohol is used in excess. It is 



TOBACCO POISONING 37l 

well known that large users of alcoholic liquors quickly 
succumb to acute infectious diseases, or at least are much 
more seriously affected by them. This may, in part, be 
due to congestion of the mucous membranes which alcohol 
causes, but it is probable that the liver of alcoholics loses 
its poison-destroying power, and because of this the sys- 
tems of such persons become infected, and the natural 
power of resistance greatly lessened. Workers in lead 
and copper smelters are also much subject to liver dis- 
eases. Most of the minerals are slowly excreted, and 
when taken into the system, either by the mouth or ab- 
sorbed from handling, there is a gradual accumulation, 
until the liver becomes almost wholly clogged, which re- 
sults in disease. We must not overlook the most univer- 
sal of all poisons — tobacco. Every tobacco user is de- 
pendent on the fidelity of his liver to save him from to- 
bacco poisoning, and the injury will be in proportion to 
its capacity to protect the system. In the treatment of 
contagious and infectious diseases, the use of tobacco will 
likely delay recovery. This is also true of diseases of nu- 
trition. The specific infecfious and contagious diseases 
seriously complicate the liver, probably because of the in- 
creased destruction of tissue in the body, and the poison- 
ous bacteria and other organisms. The most common 
diseases of this character are malaria, typhoid fever, scar- 
latina, diphtheria and syphilis. The fourth cause of liver 
diseases is the source of most of its ailments, because the 
changes the food must undergo for the production of heat 
and the repair of tissue, make possible the constant pro- 
duction of poisonous compounds. The products of every 
form of indigestion, as well as the non-elimination of 
effete tissue, are in some degree poisonous. If the liver 
and other organs be sufficiently capable, the body will be 
protected from ill effects; otherwise, there is auto-intoxi- 
cation — self-poisoning. 



372 DISEASES OF THE LIVER 

These are named according to the structural changes 
the liver undergoes, the most common of which is jaun- 
dice. This is a stoppage in the natural flow of bile and 
its absorption into the system, causing a yellowish tint of 
the skin. Hyperaemia is congestion of the portal circu- 
lation — a blood engorgement. Suppurative hepatitis, is 
abcess of the liver, and cirrhosis is a chronic inflammatory 
liver disease, characterized by a nodular roughness of the 
surface. 

Symptoms. 

Enlargement and feeling of fulness in the right side. 
An unusual fullness of abdominal veins, an irregular and 
intermittent pulse, digestive disturbance, loss of appetite, 
and especially loathing of fatty foods. Dropsy, jaundice, 
difficult breathing, tension in the region of the stomach 
and liver, slight chills, sharp pain in the right side, radiat- 
ing to right shoulder and a great increase or decrease in 
amount of urea. 

Diet. 

We have seen persons quickly recover from jaundice by 
eating large quantities of fresh peaches, after medical treat- 
ment had failed to give relief. There is probably no dis- 
ease where the large use of laxative fruits, such as apples, 
peaches, strawberries and oranges have such beneficial ef- 
fects. The fruit should be fresh and used without sugar. 
Sour fruits are never indicated in acute inflammatory con- 
dition of intestines, and if complicated with diseases of 
the liver, fruits must be kept out of the diet until acute 
symptoms subside. A free use of fruits is recommended 
by some in alcoholism, and it is claimed, with some rea- 
son, that when fruits are plentiful and cheap, the general 
use of alcoholic liquors greatly decreases. It is to be 
hoped that further observation anid experience will prove 
this claim and give reliable facts that will be of great value. 



DIET IN LIVER DISEASES 373 

In diseases of the liver, as in other diseases, it should 
be kept in mind that rest for the diseased organ, nour- 
ishment and freedom from irritation, are most essential. 
No food so nearly meets these requirements as milk. 
Where the liver is enlarged from the excess of rich food, it 
would seem rational to conclude that a light diet, mostly 
liquid, should be prescribed; and it is probable that the 
"fruit cure" for rheumatism and other diseases, rests on 
this theory. When the liver is affected from such dis- 
eases as typhoid or malaria, it is necessary to furnish all 
the nourishing food that can be digested and assimilated, 
such as meat juice, eggs, gelatine, gluten and bread. When 
there is no intestinal inflammation, fine wheat bran that 
has beeii j ousted and re-ground, will help keep the intes- 
tines active. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

CHRONIC DISEASES. 

KIDNEYS. 

Acute nephritis is an acute inflammation of the kidneys, 
characterized by albumen, and other pathological ele- 
ments, in the urine. The disease may develop into chronic 
nephritis. Chronic nephritis, or Bright's disease, may 
also originate without having been preceded by any acute 
symptoms. 

Causes. 

Most of the acute cases are caused by the poisonous 
matter resulting from such infectious diseases as scarlet 
fever, diphtheria, typhoid fever, small-pox and malaria. 
Other infectious diseases or diseases resulting from self- 
poisoning are also causes. Any condition which hinders 
the functional activity of the skin, or that throws addi- 
tional work on the kidneys, may cause acute nephritis. 
This may also be the case in diseases of the skin, exten- 
sive burns, or from cold and exposure which arrest its 
functional activity. The kidneys perform a very impor- 
tant function in removing poisons or poisonous sub- 
stances from the body, and are, therefore, likely to be 
greatly affected by them. This is especially true of lead 
and alcohol in all its forms. Painters and others who 
work in lead are much subject to this complaint. A 
distinguished medical writer classes Bright's disease as of 
uric acid origin, which is but another name for poison 
resulting from effete matter in the system. In addition 
to these general causes, Bright's disease undoubtedly has 
a nervous origin, which comes from shock, emotional 
excitment and high nervous tension. Hereditary tenden- 

875 



376 BRIGHT' S DISEASE 

cies are very pronounced in some families, as evidenced 
by the fact that entire families have died of the disease. 

Symptoms. 

The symptoms are mainly constitutional. In acute 
nephritis there may be dropsical effusions. These are 
often manifested by swelling of the face, feet, legs and 
other parts of the body, with diminished amount of urine. 
In the acute attacks, there may be chilliness, pain in the 
back and limbs, dull headache and general physical weak- 
ness. In chronic nephritis, or Bright's disease, there may 
be attacks of nervousness, indigestion, headache, -and 
particularly shortness of breath after climbing a stairway. 
There is no pain to warn the patient, and it not unfre- 
quently happens that people have Bright's disease and are 
hopelessly incurable before they ascertain the fact. A 
chemical analysis of the urine is easily made, and no 
physician should be permitted to practice medicine who 
does not make frequent examinations of this kind. In 
disease, the exact condition of the kidneys is best deter- 
mined by a microscopical examination. 

Diet. 

There is no food that gives as good results in diseases 
of the kidneys as milk. In some cases, it will be best to 
use it almost exclusively for some months. If it does not 
agree with the patient, or is not sufficiently nourishing to 
sustain the strength, well-baked bread, or rice that has 
been boiled several hours, or until the grains disinte- 
grate, may be used to thicken the milk. Should there be 
constipation, rolled oats may be substituted for the bread 
and rice. If the patient loses strength he may be given 
wheat gluten and powdered nuts and fish. The latter is 
the only meat ordinarily allowable, but some permit a 
small amount of chicken. Where the digestive organs are 
in good condition and the patient has considerable vigor, 



DIET IN BRIGHT'S 377 

a moderate amount of green vegetables may be allowed, 
but never in acute attacks. Neutral fruits, or those some- 
what sweet, will not likely do any harm. They should 
always be baked or stewed. In Bright's disease all irri- 
tating substances, such as pepper, mustard and condi- 
ments generally, are prohibited. Likewise all meat, ex- 
cept fish, and chicken occasionally; all pungent vegeta- 
bles, such as raw onions, together with alcoholic liquors of 
every description, vinegar, sour fruits, tea and coffee. 
It is of greatest importance that the skin be kept in the 
most active condition possible. Daily baths, tollowed by 
thorough rubbing of the skin for a half hour, is essential 
to good condition and a prolonged existence. Chronic 
Bright's disease is classed among the incurable ones, but 
those who are so afflicted must not worry about it, as it 
doubles their speed towards the end. With good care, 
one may live many years with Bright's disease, and be 
much alive long after some of those who were supposed 
to be more fortunate, have passed away. 
Diabetes Mellitus. 

The origin of diabetes has not been satisfactorily deter- 
mined. It was formerly supposed to be a disease of the 
kidneys, but modern research has established the fact that 
the kidneys are merely the intermediaries for excreting 
the sugar contained in the urine. It is now supposed 
that the pancreas, liver, and base of the brain, are the 
principal organs originally affected, and the probable 
source of this disease. The disease of diabetes is princi- 
pally characterized by an excessive elimination of urine 
of high specific gravity, containing a large amount of 
grape sugar — technically called glycosuria. 

It is dependent upon a morbid condition of the system, 
which prevents the grape sugar contained in the foods 
being properly taken up by the different organs of the 



378 DIABETES 

body. Starch is converted into grape sugar, which is 
greatly increased in diabetes by the constant use of starchy 
or saccharine foods. This is due to perversion of storage 
capacity of glycogen in the liver and muscles, and insuffi- 
cient consumption of sugar in the tissues, because the 
cells of diabetic patients are unable to perform their sugar- 
consuming functions. The causes are heredity, infectious 
diseases, diseases of the pancreas, great mental worry, 
over-eating and shock to the nervous system. The dis- 
ease is most common in Southern Italy and India. Of the 
races, the Jews are most subject to the disease. 
• Diabetes is fatal in children and is exceedingly danger- 
ous to those so afflicted under the age of thirty, and they 
especially should completely exclude from their diet list 
all starches and sugars. In those over forty-five it is not 
so dangerous to health as to allow them the moderate 
use of starchy foods. It should be borne in mind, that 
it is more important to keep up the strength of the patient, 
than to reduce the sugar in the urine. 

All diabetics should be unconditionally allowed the use 
of all varieties of meat, such as beef, veal, mutton, fowl, 
game, pork, tongue, brain, sweet-breads, kidneys, marrow 
bones, cured meats, fresh fish, shell-fish, preserved fish, 
oils, eggs, milk, cheese, nuts (except chestnuts), lettuce, 
endives, spinach, onions, leeks, asparagus, cabbage, meat 
soups without sugar or flour. Fats and oils are especially 
useful in this disease. 

Gluten and bran bread, without the starch of the flour, 
may be used, but ordinary bread sparingly, if at all. 

Sugar, jellies, sweetmeats, pastry, sweet wines, all flour, 
cereal or other starches, potatoes, honey, sweet fruits, are 
forbidden. 

Diabetics must be kept free from worry or exhausting 
labor, and should drink carbonated waters, lemon juice, 



CONSUMPTION 379 

weak coffee without milk or sugar, but saccharin may be 
used. Whiskey is frequently useful, but no beer. Regu- 
lar habits are of greatest importance. 

Tuberculosis. 

Consumption is one of the greatest enemies of the hu- 
man race. Its slow insidious attack, has for centuries 
kept its infectious nature in the background, but thanks 
to modern research, with the aids of the microscope and 
medical science, its real nature is much better understood. 

It is best known by the masses as a disease of gradual 
emaciation of the body, suppuration and wasting of the 
lungs, accompanied by cough. The disease is caused by 
a microbe called bacillus tuberculosis. Those who pos- 
sess a high degree of physical vigor, seem to have greater 
immunity from this disease, than those who are weak. 
The bacillus may be transmitted to children, but they are 
not likely to live long. It is quite probable that heredi- 
tary weakness causes a pre-disposition to this disease, but 
the fatalities of consumptive families are due to contagion 
rather than hereditary tendencies. One consumptive in a 
family, furnishes infection for all the relatives, and sooner 
or later, some one will be sufficiently weakened to furnish 
a lodging place, and ultimately become a victim of the 
tubercle bacilli. This is the principal reason why several 
or all of some families die of this disease. 

While consumption is caused by the tubercle bacilli, 
indirect causes are insufficient nourishment, bad ventila- 
tion, hot gas-lit shops, ulcers in the throat, and moist 
atmosphere. 

The disease is said to sometimes arise from the milk 
of tuberculous milk cows. Bronchitis is said to cause 
twelve per cent of the cases, but the cause of bronchitis 
is also due to bad hygienic living. The tubercle bacillus 
measures about one eight thousandth of an inch in dia- 



380 DIET IN CONSUMPTION 

meter, and two or three times as long as thick. The 
disease usually begins at the apex of the lungs. 

The early symptoms of this disease are indigestion, fail- 
ure of appetite, repugnance to fats, exhaustion on slight 
exercise, slight fever, night sweats and expectoration. 
The formation of a cavity is generally followed by regu- 
lar morning expectoration, and after this night sweats, 
slightly elevated temperature in the afternoon, loss of 
flesh, weight and color, the drawn look of the face, the 
hectic spot on the cheek. 

In first stage there is constipation, third stage likely 
diarrhoea. 

Diet. 

As tuberculosis is a disease dependent on sub-nutrition, 
its cure is pre-eminently dependent upon forced feeding. 
The tubercle bacillus will not stay in good blood for a 
great length of time. As a rule, the patient loses appetite, 
eats but little fat, and as a result the tissue of the body is 
burned for heat. Now when the system must use part 
of itself to furnish heat, it can be readily understood how 
consumptives grow gradually weaker and less and less 
able to throw off disease. The diet must therefore be rich, 
and ready for assimilation, and nothing meets this de- 
mand as well as whisky and emulsified fats, which may be 
either milk and cream, nut oils, or cod-liver oil. The 
patient should take all the milk possible. Some of the 
methods heretofore described will insure success. Some 
prescribe raw beef steak, but meat powder is far better. It 
should be made of chicken or beef, always from fresh 
meat. Meat broths, and a diet of "slops" will not do. As 
soon as the stomach will digest rich food, powdered nuts 
may be added to the dietary, but so long as the system is 
weak, nut butter is much more easily assimilated. 

Next to meat powder, beaten eggs, is the best proteid 



DIET IN CONSUMPTION 381 

food. Constipation can be avoided by using the entire 
grain of the cereals, wheat, oats, rice and corn. They 
should be boiled for some hours dried and roasted, and 
then ground to fine flour. If desired, they may again 
be cooked for a few minutes and served with milk, eggs, 
or meat powder, or flavored to suit. 

It will aid digestion to eat a good deal of dry food. If 
the cereals prepared as described do not prevent consti- 
pation, bran should be treated as heretofore described in 
disease of the stomach, and used with each meal. Coffee 
is only permissible for flavor, and tea not at all. Fried 
foods, coarse vegetables, raw vegetables, pickles, pastry, 
and doughy bread, candy, salt meats, cheese, and condi- 
ments should form no part of the dietary. Should there 
be sour stomach, or flatulence, sugar must be omitted, 
otherwise it can be used in a moderate way. Fruit juices, 
peaches and cooked apples may be used freely in most 
cases. 

The patient must take all the food that can be used in 
the system, but never gormandize. If it is too much 
trouble to take so much pains with the diet, don't do it, 
but order your funeral outfit. Don't be foolish enough 
•to rely on drugs. They are useful adjuncts, but good 
blood alone can cure. 

Insomnia. 

Sleeplessness is most usually caused by some disturb- 
ance of circulation — often the result of nervous excite- 
ment. Anything that produces great activity of the 
mind, such as grief, joy, business cares, anger, stimulants, 
or drugs, may produce insomnia. It may also be cause- 
ed by great fatigue and pain, but the principal cause is 
indigestion. Disorders of nutrition may both be the 
cause, and the result of insomnia. 

The diet, of course, will depend much on the cause. If 



382 DISEASES OF THE HEART 

it be from an excess of food-engorgement, — give nature a 
chance to unload. If the cause be of a social character, 
get rid of the cause, and by all means leave off tea, coffee, 
tobacco, and liquor, or at least, reduce the quantity to a 
nominal amount. In cases of long standing, where there 
is physical weakness, massage, in connection with proper 
diet, will work wonders. In ordinary cases, a brisk walk 
will draw the blood from the head and regulate the circu- 
lation. When there is apparently good health, and no 
great amount of nervousness, a light supper at 6 P. M. 
with a glass of milk — malted milk preferable— or a baked 
apple, or even a piece of bread before retiring will be suf- 
ficient to insure sleep. If the food supply be regulated 
according to the needs of the system as already explained, 
the worst cases will readily yield. (See Dilatation of 
Stomach.) 

Diseases of the Heart. 
The heart is the engine of the human body and its at- 
tachments are pipes with valves quite similar to those of 
ordinary pumps. The valves prevent the return of the 
blood as it is forced forward. The principal heart troubles 
are: 

(1) Obstruction or displacement of the heart. 

(2) Enlargement of the heart and changes in its struc- 
ture. 

(3) Leakage of the valves of the heart. 

(4) Failure from over-stimulation, exertion, or from 
lack of healthy blood. 

(5) Disease from excessive use of tobacco or alcohol. 
The blood vessels Cause disease and death from: 

(1) Rupture. 

(2) Obstruction to flow of blood. 

(3) Increased resistance within the vessels. 
Probably the most common of all heart ailments result 



DISEASES OF THE HEART 383 

from displacement of the heart due to excessive flatulence 
of the stomach. If the stomach becomes inflated like a 
balloon, it pushes the diaphragm upward against the 
heart. This causes the greatest anxiety and distress until 
relieved, and is supposed to cause many deaths, where the 
patient was ordinarily well and ate an extra hearty supper, 
but was found dead in the morning. Displacement or 
obstruction from tumors or water surrounding the heart, 
must also have a very serious effect. 

All these produce sensations of fainting, difficult breath- 
ing, and a feeling as though death was imminent. 

Enlargement and changes in structure cover a large 
field in heart troubles. It includes general enlargement, 
thickening of the walls, increase or decrease in size of 
cavities, aneurisms, changes due to cancerous growths 
and inflammations of the heart and connecting mem- 
branes. 

Anything that interferes with the circulation of the 
blood may cause heart enlargement. If the heart be stim- 
ulated to twice its usual work, or the blood vessels ob- 
structed so that more force is required to make the blood 
flow through them, the heart will increase in size. 

Enlarged hearts are found in those who drink quan- 
tities of alcoholic liquors, over-exert themselves (as 
bicycle riders), and those who have contracted blood ves- 
sels due to poisonous matter in the blood. 

Symptoms. 

Strong pulse, easily flushed face, headache, dizziness, 
shortness of breath, disturbance of digestion. 

Fatty Degeneration. — In this disease the structure of 
the muscular walls is changed by part of the fibres dis- 
appearing and in their place globules of fat are deposited. 

Causes. — Beer drinking, excessive use of alcoholic liq- 
uors and ice water, excessive corpulency and anaemia are 
also causes. 



384 DIET IN HEART DISEASES 

Symptoms. — Short breathing, flabby tissue, nervous 
ness, irritability of temper, dizziness and frequent fainting 

Palpitation of the heart, and fainting may arise from 
displacement, caused by a distended stomach. 

In valvular diseases of the heart, the changed structure 
of the valves may prevent their fully opening or closing, so 
that it takes more power to force the blood through the 
arteries, and when there is leakage, it is more than double 
work, for a large part flows back. Any one who has oper- 
ated a leaky pump will get something of an idea of this 
condition. The symptoms are much like other diseases of 
th» heart — attacks of fainting, giddiness, shortness or 
breath, and the necessity of keeping the head elevated 
when lying down, and in advanced cases, swelling of the 
feet, face, poor circulation, weak pulse and dropsy. 

A large number of deaths result from heart failure. This 
may happen because of excessive stimulation, so that 
when the stimulant is withheld the fatigue of the heart re- 
sults in its stopping. 

The same effect may result from poisonous effects of 
drugs and from long-continued fever. The higher the 
temperature the more frequent the beats of the heart. 
Probably more deaths result after fever has left the patient 
than before. This is usually called exhaustion, but means 
that there was no nourishment for the overworked heart, 
Any weakness of the heart due to disease may cause heart 
failure. 

There is still another form of heart trouble, known as 
nervous palpitation, common to narrow-chested and ner- 
vous people, especially those addicted to the use of tea 
and coffee. There is no organic disease in this class of 
cases, and all that is necessary is to eat a plain diet with 
care as to excercise, and avoid excitement and anything 
that prevents sleep. 



DISEASES OF BLOOD VESSELS 385 

The blood vessels are liable to disease somewhat similar 
to the heart. In the disease called aneurism, the walls of 
the vessels become stretched in places, so that rupture is 
liable to occur at any time. 

Obstruction to the flow of blood may come from tumors, 
from pressure resulting from displacement of organs in 
the body, and from accumulated matter in the bowels, 
which may cause piles, or other diseases. Obstructions 
may also occur from tight clothing, hats, corsets, waist- 
bands, and shoes. 

The first and most essential thing is to remove the pro- 
ducing cause. Quit liquor drinking — and all other bad 
habits. If it is from "scorching," quit it. If from con- 
tracted blood vessels, eat little or no meat, and wear loose 
clothes. 

In heart disease it is necessary to reduce the volume of 
blood, and increase its quality. This will require a dry 
diet, and a small quantity of fluids. This is especially true 
in obesity. The diet may be similar to that in catarrh or 
dilatation of the stomach, with the exception that the 
quantity of liquids be much less than in either of these 
diseases. Where it is complicated with obesity or diseases 
of the kidneys, the diet must meet the conditions in these 
diseases. 

Rickets. 

Rickets is a disease essentially due to improper food, 
but influenced by unsanitary surroundings, such as filth, 
bad air and water. It is due mainly to deficiency in min- 
eral matter and develops in children who are fed on sugar, 
condensed milk, sterilized milk, fat, and starch foods, that 
contain but little or no mineral salts. The disease also oc- 
curs in children occasionally, whom their mothers nurse 
— due to some deficiency in the mother's milk. Children 
who are permitted to eat fried foods, pickles, beer, green 



386 DEFICIENT BLOOD 

and over-ripe fruits, and indigestible foods generally, are 
subject to rickets. 

There is frequently vomiting in the earlier symptoms of 
rickets, which indicates digestive disturbances. 

Rickety children are listless and peevish when awake, 
and restless when asleep. The bones become soft, and if 
the child walks, it becomes deformed, twisted or bow- 
legged, and the spine may become curved. There may 
be emaciation, or the child may be fat or flabby. See diet 
for children. 

Anaemia and Chlorosis. 

This disease has attracted a great deal of attention and 
besides the medical literature on the subject, short arti- 
cles have frequently appeared in the newspapers and mag- 
azines. These have usually been misleading, so that it is 
looked upon as a disease of the blood, rather than impov- 
erished blood; which it really is. Anaemia is not a curse 
sent from Mars or Jupiter, but the natural result of plain, 
every-day ignorance; or at least indiscretion in diet and 
habits. If the system is not supplied with the necessary 
elements to make good blood, or the blood be poisoned by 
effete matter in the system, or drained by profuse dis- 
charges, anaemia results. It is most common in girls 
during puberty; also frequently found among young wo- 
men — especially students — and a little less frequent among 
women generally. 

Causes. 

The chief causes are: insufficient clothing on arms and 
legs, too little exercise, lack of pure air, and, above all, 
a diet in which candy, pickles and pastry form the larger 
part. Secondary causes are profuse discharges (which 
are also due to errors in living), absorption of pus from 
suppurating inflammations, drugs, and possibly from 
eating too little food of any kind. Women may have anae- 



DIET IN ANAEMIA 387 

mia, sick-headache, bilious attacks, female complaints, or 
other disorders, and persist in saying that nothing they 
eat "hurts them," which may be literally true, but not true 
in effect. There is something remarkable about the per- 
version of young girls' appetites at puberty, because the 
more anaemic they are, the more they crave injurious 
substances. Parents should bear in mind that poorly- 
nourished girls will be imperfectly developed women, who, 
in turn, will probably become mothers of degenerate chil- 
dren. Many make a great mistake in supposing that fat 
is an indication of good blood and vigor. The test of 
good blood is health, strength and energy. Many anae- 
mic children are unjustly called lazy, while in fact they 
have no vital force. They merely exist in form, but not 
in an active one. The discussion of foods and dietaries in 
part one, thoroughly covers the subject; but attention can- 
not too often be drawn to some errors, and among them 
is the habit of girls "piecing" between meals, eating fried 
foods, pickles, pastry and white bread. A plain, well- 
cooked, cereal diet, with stewed or roasted meat, milk, 
cream, soft-boiled or poached eggs, ground nuts, without 
strong tea or coffee, will soon dispel anaemia. The time 
is coming when it will be odious to be sick. 
Epilepsy, or Fits. 
Epileptic fits have many causes. When due to pressure 
on the brain from injury to the skull, the remedy is only 
a surgical one. The chief cause, however, is probably due 
to uric acid in the blood, and the fits become a habit of the 
nervous system. In this class of cases it is merely an- 
other manifestation of the same thing that produces sick- 
headache, asthma, rheumatism, and kindred diseases, al- 
though epilepsy is not nearly so common. When one or 
both parents are troubled with sick-headache, asthma, or 
rheumatism, and a child has epilepsy, it raises a strong 



388 ASTHMA 

presumption that it is of uric acid origin. In all diseases 
of this class, but little or no meat should be eaten, and 
care taken not to eat an excess of starch or sugar. There 
will be more or less indigestion, which must be treated 
according to the conditions found. Daily baths and exer- 
cise in the open air will be very beneficial. If the patient 
be weak, the baths should be tepid until cold ones can be 
borne. Constipation must be avoided, by using fine ce- 
real bran. A glass of water should always be drunk an 
hour before meals, and at bed time. A vegetable diet, 
fresh air, an active skin and bowels, and alkaline waters, 
wftl do much for epileptics. 

Asthma. 
Asthma is the spasmodic contraction of the breathing 
tubes, which prevents the free entrance and exit of air. 
The attacks come on more or less irregularly, and may be 
brought on by a number of causes, such as strong odors, 
dust, bad air, and by inflammation in other parts of the 
body. Asthma belongs to the arthritic diseases, and is 
caused by some defect in the elimination of waste, partic- 
ularly effete tissue or excess of tissue-forming foods. An- 
other common term for tendencies to diseases of this class, 
is uric acid diathesis, which is believed to be caused by im- 
perfect excretion of uric acid. Whenever there is an ex- 
cess of uric acid in the system of those who are predis- 
posed to asthma, it contracts the blood vessels of the air 
passages. Just how the results are brought about is more 
or less a matter of conjecture, but it is probable that when 
the blood is laden as .'described, that anything which 
slightly affects the nerves of the bronchial system, will 
bring on an attack of asthma. Where the uric acid dia- 
thesis exists in a family, one may have asthma, some rheu- 
matism or gout, some sick-headache, some other diseases 
of the same class, such as some form of epilepsy, eczema, 



DIET IN ASTHMA 389 

dyspepsia, throat diseases, etc. Medical treatment of 
asthma is only palliative. The only substantial benefit 
asthmatics can receive is through their diet, and place of 
living. This is not always an easy matter to regulate, as 
there is frequently a dilated stomach, and most asthmatics 
are obese. Leaving off tea, coffee, ale, wine, beer, meat 
and sugar, will greatly benefit and probably cure those 
who have good digestion. If the patient be thin and have 
poor circulation, it may be necessary to prescribe whisky, 
but no other liquor; especially none of a fermented char- 
acter. The diet should mostly be restricted to wheat, oats, 
corn and rice, prepared as in diseases of the stomach. 
Thoroughly cooked cereals, eaten dry and well masticated, 
furnish the best diet. If more fat is needed, use cream 
and powdered nuts, but never without grinding as fine as 
flour. Milk is also permissible, but where the stomach 
is dilated it will need to be modified in some of the ways 
heretofore explained. Fruits are usually prohibited, ex- 
cept for flavoring, although neutral fruits, such as sub- 
acid apples and grapes, may be eaten during good health. 
Water, milk, sassafras tea and cereal coffee are the only 
drinks permissible to use. 

Leanness. 
The doctor's advice to the fat and to the lean, has long 
been a target for the humorous paragrapher. It is just 
possible, too, that they draw a picture too often true, when 
they describe the doctor as advising the fat patient to leave 
off starch, sugar and fat, and the lean one to eat them. 
Leanness cannot be cured by any rule of arithmetic, but 
only by scientific dieting. People may be lean because 
they eat too much fat and starch, as well as not enough. 
It is a matter of digestion rather than ingestion. Lean- 
ness is undoubtedly hereditary; but Nature never intended 
one to be too lean for vigor and endurance. Capacity 



390 LEANNESS 

for work and general health is the real standard for con- 
dition. When people fall below their average weight, with 
a tendency toward weakness, there is cause for apprehen- 
sion. 

Causes of Leanness. 

Besides hereditary tendencies, mental worry, over-ex- 
ertion, mental or physical, loss of sleep, inability to digest 
starchy food, insufficient, or too much food. Those 
who are too thin, or lack strength, but are otherwise well, 
should reckon just how much food they consume each 
day, and if the quantity eaten does not produce at least 
3,000 calories of heat (see dietaries) for moderate work 
and average size, the diet is deficient. Food in great ex- 
cess causes indigestion, which may prevent the formation 
of fat. Such persons will likely have sour stomachs and 
heartburn, with gaseous eructation (see gastritis and di- 
lated stomach). Those who have excessive acid secretions 
will not have a sour stomach from fermentation, until the 
stomach becomes dilated. Persons of this tendency are 
nearly always hungry, and are sometimes charged wi-tih 
"eating so much that it makes them poor to carry it." 

Diet. 

The first requisite is freedom from worry or mental 
strain. Then regular habits and plenty of sleep. Ten 
hours' sleep is a great aid toward the accumulation of fat. 
There must be no excesses of any character, and two or 
three moderately cold baths (in a warm room), should 
be taken every week. After each bath crash towels or 
flesh brushes must be used for at least ten minutes, until 
the skin glows. People who are "run down," should not 
usually be put on large quantities of starch and fat. The 
system must be toned up by moderate quantities of food 
that are easily digested. Malted wheat gluten and beaten 
eggs, with well-cooked wheat foods, containing fine bran, 



OBESITY 391 

will secure activity of the bowels and put the system in 
condition. Cream, nut butter, and malted nuts will fatten 
the quickest of all foods. It is a common notion that 
both milk and water are 'fattening. The ingestion of large 
quantities of water may cause more fat to be stored in the 
system, but it could not, of itself, make fat; and milk is not 
ordinarily more than three or four per cent. fat. Starch 
digestion will greatly be increased by using dry food. Tea 
and coffee should be dropped in favor of hot water and 
milk, or cereal coffee. The quantity should not exceed 
four or five ounces at a meal. Particular care should be 
taken to dress warmly. If. the leanness be due to diarrhoea 
or female diseases, or, in fact, any disease, they must be 
treated accordingly. Tobacco users should quit the habit, 
01 at least use the least possible. 

Obesity — Corpulence. 

Obesity is the accumulation of an excessive amount of 
fat in the body. 

Causes. 

Its most usual cause is over-eating, although some 
obese people eat very little. In most cases there is a heredi- 
tary tendency to corpulency, which readily develops when 
the diet and habits favor it. The most fattening foods 
ordinarily used are fat meat, butter, lard, or other fat 
used in cooking, cream, sugar, bread, potatoes, the cereals 
and nuts. The yolks of eggs should also be included. 
Water does not produce fat, but favors its accumulation. 
Alcoholic liquors, especially beer, produce some fat, and 
besides being fattening, they cause tissue changes and the 
deposit of fat that would otherwise be burned up. Muscu- 
lar inactivity aids in the accumulation of fat, because fat 
is consumed by muscular exercise. Those who are anae- 
mic often become fat because poor blood will not carry 
enough oxygen to burn up the elements that make fat. 



392 EFFECTS OF OBESITY 

Those who are fat and anaemic suffer intensely from ex- 
posure to cold. 

Effects of Fat. 

An excess of fat affects the system in the following 
ways : i 

(i) It prevents the radiation of heat; (2) interferes 
with the action of the muscles and various organs of the 
body ; (3) increases the volume of blood ; (4) obstructs 
the circulation ; (5) changes the structure of the heart and 
liver and weakens their action. 

The first symptom that plainly indicates injury from an 
excess of fat is an increased rate in breathing from slight 
exertion, and later without any exertion at all. This con- 
dition is due, (1) to the fact that the heart cannot force 
the blood through the lungs fast enough ; (2) to the re- 
stricted action of the lungs. The accumulation of fat in 
the abdomen prevents the descent of the diaphragm and 
the full expansion and contraction of the lungs. 

An excess of fat is a common cause of heart failure and 
apoplexy. The increased volume of blood and the in- 
creased resistance to the flow of blood overwork the heart. 
This is noticeable when an obese person rapidly climbs 
a hill, or even a stairway. There will be a throbbing of 
•the heart, a fullness of the head, and a fainting sensation 

Dietetic and Hygienic Treatment. 
Many cures for obesity have, from time to time, been 
advocated, but almost all of them at the expense of diges- 
tion. A good many women resort to vinegar drinking, 
without much reduction of fat and probably great injury 
to their digestive organs. The use of cathartics is objec- 
tionable for the same reason, so that the treatment for 
this disease mainly comes to a restriction as to food a 
drink, and sufficient exercise to burn up the excess of fat. 
The ordinary foods that produce fat are starch, all the 



DIET IN OBESITY 393 

cereals, sugar, syrup or sweetened foods, cream, butter, 
fat meat, lard and nuts. Whether meat from which all 
fat has been removed would produce fat has not been 
satisfactorily determined, but it is generally believed that 
it will not. Single articles of food at each meal have 
often been recommended. Only one good effect could 
possibly result from this, and that is, that the appetite 
would be quickly satisfied and only a small amount of 
food eaten. Such a dietary may cause disease because 
there is no certainty that the necessary food elements 
would be supplied. Obesity is often difficult to treat, be- 
cause obese persons frequently have idiosyncrasies, and 
the disease is seldom found without complications. The 
diseases obesity seems to favor are gout, rheumatism, 
asthma, heart diseases and dyspepsia. Rheumatism and 
gout require plenty of water and a vegetable diet. In such 
cases, the diet should consist mainly of such garden vege- 
tables as string beans, beets, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, 
stewed onions, lettuce, spinach, turnips, parsnips, and car- 
rots. All should be well cooked and chopped crosswise 
of their fibre. For the tissue-forming foods, fresh water 
fish, skimmed milk, the white of eggs, and prepared wheat 
gluten. Two or three ounces of entire wheat bread, or 
potatoes may be allowed each day. If this diet does not 
make the bowels active use plenty of bran and wheat mid- 
lings, which should be boiled, roasted and re-ground as 
fine as possible. It may then be made into cakes, but no 
shortening should be used. If obesity is not complicated 
with gout, rheumatism, or asthma, lean beef, mutton, 
veal and chicken may be added to the dietary and milk, 
except for flavoring, taken from it. Water unites with 
other substances to form fat, and except where there Is 
some disease such as rheumatism, that requires a large 
amount of water to carry away effete matter, the dryer the 



394 DIET IN OBESITY 

diet, the more rapid the reduction in" weight The object 
is to consume more water than is taken into the system, 
thus compelling the use of water already in the body and 
the burning up of accumulated fat. All fried foods are 
prohibited, because of the fat used in cooking. One ounce 
of butter a day may be allowed if no cream or shortened 
foods are eaten. Three or four ounces of weak coffee, 
water, milk and water, or cereal coffee, at each meal is all 
the fluid that should be drunk at meals. A small quantity 
of water between meals is allowable. It is necessary to 
eat some starch and fat, and to take fluids, but the quan- 
tity consumed must be much below an ordinary diet. 
Gluten biscuit, made by the Sanitarium Health Food 
Company, should be substituted for bread, if circum- 
stances will permit. 

Mountain climbing, gymnastics and Turkish baths are 
advocated for obesity; but, before any vigorous exercise 
is undertaken, it would be well to ascertain how much the 
heart will stand. When there is no danger of heart fail- 
ure, plenty of bodily exercise, with restricted diet, will 
quickly reduce fat. The fat-reducing value of Turkish 
baths is greatly over-rated, because the water loss from 
the sweating process is likely to be soon replaced. The 
baths are useful to remove effete matter and aid in main- 
taining a dry diet without injury. 

Headache. 

This ailment has so many causes that a complete de- 
scription of them would fill a volume; but they may be 
briefly described by saying: that headaches are caused by 
poisonous substances in the blood, and by some disturb- 
ance in circulation and diseases of the nervous system. 

The blood may contain toxic substances from indiges- 
tion, effete matter from incomplete elimination, or from 



HEADACHE 395 

the various micro-organisms that produce contagious or 
infectious diseases. 

The periodical attacks of sick-headache are usually due 
to excess of uric acid in the system. The only cure known 
is to live mainly on a cereal diet, take out-door exercise, 
plenty of water and daily baths. 

Disturbance in circulation results from disease, mental 
excitement and pressure from clothing. Headaches so 
produced can only be cured by removing the causes that 
produce them. 

See diseases of the stomach, intestines, liver, asthma, 
rheumatism and epilepsy. 

RHEUMATISM. 

This is a disease that is often manifested, in both acute 
and chronic form. In the acute stage, there is severe 
pain, fever and swelling of the joints ; in the chronic 
cases, the pain is less severe, but the joints afflicted be- 
come stiffened and partially or wholly incapable of being 
used. The disease is more common to men than wom- 
en, and the acute form is most frequently found between 
the ages of fifteen and forty-five years. Chronic rheu- 
matism afflicts all ages, but more often those of advanc- 
ing years, particularly those who eat much and exercise 
but little. 

Causes of Rheumatism. 

Uric and lactic acid are each said to cause it. A few 
claim that it is due to some microbe, but whatever the 
direct cause be named, it is reasonably certain that it has 
its origin in uneliminated waste, due to some defect in 
excretion, the ingestion of unsuitable food or an excess of 
it. A large amount of waste is removed through the 
skin, and whatever lessens its action, retards excretion. 
Warmth favors perspiration; cold arrests it; for this ea- 
son, rheumatism is much more frequent in cold, damp 
weather than when it is warm and dry. Other causes 



396 RHEUMATISM 

that lessen the activity of the skin are : Too much or too 
little clothing; overheated rooms, lack of ventilation of 
sleeping or living rooms ; too little exercise, and long pe- 
riods between baths. Rheumatism is usually regarded 
as an unavoidable affliction, whereas, it is, ordinarily, a 
self-inflicted disease. If the food supply was properly 
adapted, 'as to kind and amount, to the needs of the sys- 
tem, there would be but few cases of this disease. Its 
most common cause, is an excess of food ingested — par- 
ticularly lean meat. Rheumatism and gluttony are boon 
companions. Too much sugar, fat, beer, wine, indiges- 
tible foods, starchy foods and even tea and coffee cause 
or aggravate it. 

Those who are underfed, or poorly nourished, are 
sometimes subjects to attacks. 

How to Cure Rheumatism. 

There are few, if any diseases, so easily prevented or 
cured by proper diet and habits. Find the cause and 
remove it. Some people would rather have rheumatism 
than have their food and drink limited. (i) Hearty eat- 
ers must reduce the quantity of food. (2) Do not eat 
meat oftenef than once or twice a week. (3) Avoid su- 
gar, vinegar, pastry and an excess of potatoes. Fruits 
containing much acid are usually not allowable. In so 
far as they cleanse the system and improve digestion 
they may be used. Very severe cases, caused by gluttony 
have been cured by giving nothing but California grapes. 
It is a question whether the grapes had any particular 
effect other than that of giving the system a chance to 
unload. Eat well-cooked cereals, milk, garden vegeta- 
bles, neutral fruits, eggs and nuts, if powdered. Families 
that are predisposed to sick headache, asthma or rheu- 
matism need to closely follow the suggestions found 
herein. 



CHAPTER XXX. 
ACUTE DISEASES. 

Cold. 

Cold is an elastic term that is applied to a large number 
of symptoms, varying much in severity. The most com- 
mon form is called coryza, but better known as "cold in 
the head." This form of cold is an acute inflammation of 
die mucous membranes of the nose and adjacent pas- 
sages. The swollen membranes cause an oppressive sense 
of fullness in the head, and may close the air passage in 
one or both nostrils, which makes it necessary to breathe 
through the mouth. At the beginning of the attack there 
will be a watery discharge from the nose. As the more 
acute symptoms subside, the discharge becomes thicker, 
and sometimes quite hard. 

Tosilitis — Quinsy. 

This is another manifestation of cold, but instead of the 
inflammation of the membranes of the nose, it is an in- 
flammation of the throat and tonsils. Children are much 
more subject to the disease than adults. 

Pharyngitis — Sore Throat. 

Pharyngitis is an inflammation of the membranes of the 
throat, and is a common form of czW 

Acute Bronchitis. 

This is an inflammation of the lining membranes of the 
trachea and bronchial tubes— the air passages of the lungs. 
It may follow a cold in the head, sore throat, or the cold 
may first affect the bronchial membranes. There will 
usually be a feeling of constriction in the front of the chest, 
difficult breathing, and a pronounced cough., although the 
cough may be a symptom in other diseases, especially 

397 



398 HOW TO CURE A COLD 

from the throat. All of the membranous inflammations 
incident to cold, may become chronic, if the causes pro- 
ducing them are constant, or even frequent. 

Causes of Colds. 

Colds are caused by chilling the surface of the body, 
especially after being overheated. Cold, damp atmos- 
phere, insufficient clothing, chilling the skin, overheated 
and badly-ventilated houses, are all causes of colds. It 
is likely that over-eating and constipation are more fre- 
quently the cause of colds, than is supposed. Whatever 
disturbs the circulation of the blood and prevents the elim- 
ination of waste may cause a cold. 

Hygienic Treatment. 

Colds should be prevented by proper living, but when 
once contracted, how shall we get rid of them? The an- 
swer is very simple: remove the cause by restoring the 
functions of the skin, and other excretory outlets. This 
can best be done by vigorous exercise sufficient to start 
profuse perspiration. Turkish, vapor, or other baths, that 
open the pores of the skin and cause free perspiration, will 
cure a cold at the beginning of the attack, and shorten 
one already existing. 

After a sweat, the skin should be cleansed, and sponged 
at least three times. The first time with tepid, then cool, 
and finally with m. 'erately cold water. This must be 
followed by thorough rubbing of the skin, dry clothing 
and a temperature moderately warm for several hours, or 
patient may go to bed and keep warm. The bowels must 
be kept active and houses well ventilated. Cold packs 
with dry covering, give great relief from cough and dis- 
comfort in the face. 

Diet. 
In an acute attack it will be well to eat but little. The 
maxim "feed a cold and starve a fever" would be better if 



MALARIA 399 

rendered: "If you will feed a cold you will have a fever to 
starve." The diet in ordinary acute cases should be laxa- 
tive (see constipation) and reduced one-half for two or three 
days. In chronic cases, where the patient is weak, a rich 
diet should be allowed and the patient fed on well-cooked 
cereals, gluten, eggs, milk, powdered meat and powdered 
nuts. 

Malaria. 

It is now generally accepted as a fact, that malaria is a 
germ disease. Where there is rich land and heavy vege- 
tation, there will likely be malaria about the end of the 
Summer, and in hot climates all the year. There is also 
more or less malaria adjacent to streams, and it is believed 
that it always exists in newly-cultivated land. 

Symptoms. 

Languor, headache, aching of body and limbs, chilly 
sensations, followed by fever. There are many types of 
malaria manifested as "dumb" ague, daily, alternate, and 
third day ague. Also many forms of intermittent fever. 
It is supposed that the germs of different types of malaria 
require different lengths of time for development. At a 
certain stage, they produce the acute attacks with chill, 
high fever, perspiration. When the fever subsides, the 
symptoms may disappear until more germs are matured. 

Diet. 

It is remarkable that so little attention has been paid 
to the dietetic treatment of this disease. Good blood and 
an active liver resist malaria without any drugs, but this 
fact seems to have been lost sight of in its treatment We 
have seen patients treated for months with constant recur- 
ring attacks, without any notice being taken of the fact that 
the patient was living on fried pork, hard-fried eggs, hot 
biscuits, fried potatoes, and strong coffee. No one can eat 
6uch a diet and keep well, much less get well, when debili- 



f^->. - ■ - - _- ■ 
400 DIET IN MALARIA 

tated by malaria, which engorges the liver, impoverishes 
the blood and weakens the whole digestive system. After 
an attack of malaria, the system is a much damaged fort- 
ress. The blood is the agency of repair, and food the ma- 
terial. The stomach and bowels will need to be cleansed 
and disinfected, and as soon as the fever is down, easily 
digested, and non-fermentable foods should be given, such 
as egg punch, beaten egg, in three parts milk and one part 
cream, that have been sterilized, or pasteurized. Gelatine 
may be used instead of egg, where more agreeable. These 
may be flavored to suit. In most cases sour fruit, such 
as oranges, lemons, peaches, baked apples, strawberries, 
and fresh grape juice will give good results. The diet in 
convalescence should be similar to that in catarrh of the' 
stomach. All coarse, tough, or indigestible substances 
and fermented foods must be avoided. The cereals sfhould 
be well cooked and malted. Baths and general care will 
greatly aid. Get all foul and effete matter out, and good 
healthy blood as soon as possible, and malaria will seek 
weaker victims. 

Scarlet Fever. 

Scarlet fever is a contagious and infectious disease, and 
is an inflammation of both skin and mucous membranes 
of the body. It has three periods: 

1st. Invasion, which lasts from 24 to 48 hours. 

2nd. Eruption, which lasts from 5 to 7 days. 

3rd. Desquamation, from the 7th to the 21st day. 

Eruption commences second or third day after fever, 
and consists of very numerous points about the size of pin 
heads. Between these the skin is of natural color. As the 
eruption develops, the red points unite, but fade in from 
five to eight days. 

Symptoms. 

Pain in the back and limbs, coldness of skin, headache, 



SCARLET FEVER 401 

nausea and vomiting, followed by sensation of heat and 
high temperature, often accompanied by delirium. In 
severe cases, the tongue is swollen and presents a straw- 
berry appearance. Symptoms increase in severity as erup- 
tin appears. The urine is scant and of dark red hue. 
The nervous system and kidneys are most affected by the 
scarlet fever poison. The disease can be communicated 
by personal contact, by atmosphere, clothing, animals, or 
food, especially of milk. The scales are the most contagi- 
ous. The darker the color of the eruption the more severe 
the disease. Measles, or erythema, are liable to be mis- 
taken for scarlet fever. There is this difference : In scar- 
let fever the eruption first appears on the neck and chest, 
while in measles, first on face. Eruption does not always 
appear, and in such cases it is difficult to distinguish it 
from diphtheria. The urine of scarlatinous patients should 
be carefully examined every day after the eruption has 
appeared, as it not infrequently happens the kidneys are 
badly inflamed, and if not watched may result in Blight's 
disease and death. 

Diet. 

This disease is so frequently a source of kidney disease, 
that great care should be exercised in feeding, until re- 
covery is complete. Milk is the best food. It may be 
diluted with well-cooked gruels, but not with gelatine or 
other animal food. In serious cases milk should be the 
principal food for some weeks. Effervescing waters, bar- 
ley water, orange and fruit juices (except astringent ones 
— raspberries, etc.), may be given to moisten the mouth 
and quench the thirst. During high fever the patient 
will take from two to five ounces of fluid every hour. In 
using animal foods during convalescence, eggs, fish and 
chicken should be allowed before other meats. 



402 DIPHTHERIA 

Diphtheria is a specific infectious disease caused by a 
microbe known as Klebs-Loeffler bacillus. It is locally 
manifested by an intense inflammation of the throat, with 
constitutional symptoms, due to poison produced by the 
bacillus. Infection may occur by being near the patient, 
or may be carried by healthy persons to others. Many 
cases occur by relaxing rules of precaution after patients 
seem to be about well. The virus attaches itself to cloth- 
ing, bedding and the room in which the patient has lived. 

Symptoms. 

The period of incubation is from two to seven days. 
There is slight chilliness, aching pains in the body and 
limbs, followed by fever. Temperature usually rises to 
103, and In severe cases 104, the first twenty-four hours. 

In addition to the danger to life which the diphtheretic 
throat may cause, the kidneys are liable to be seriously 
affected, so that the diseases which result indirectly from 
the poisoned condition of the blood need to be carefully 
guarded against The urine should be examined daily for 
. kidney complications. 

Diet. 

Diphtheria is the most malignant of the common dis- 
eases, and needs especial care in feeding. Plain ice cream 
without sugar is both nourishing and soothing to the 
throat. Repugnance to food is a bad diagnostic sign, 
and every effort possible must be made to overcome it, by 
offering a variety of flavors. Foods thickened with cream, 
beaten eggs, or gruels, will sometimes be more easily 
swallowed than either milk or water. If there is a feeble 
pulse and danger of heart failure, alcoholic stimulation 
may be required. In such cases, egg-nog and milk punch 
should be given. 

Haemoptysis — Haemorrhage of the Lungs. 
Haemorrhage of the lungs or blood-spitting, has many 
Causes : 



HAEMORRHAGE MEASLES 403 

1. Rupture from external violence, as from blows or 
falls. 

2. Violent exertion, as an attempt to perform some ex- 
traordinary feat, and inflammation from any cause, throw- 
ing an excess of blood to the lungs. 

3. Secondary effect of heart disease, pressure of tu- 
mors, or enlarged glands. 

4. The perforation of blood vessels by disease. 

In hemorrhage of the lungs the blood is coughed up, 
not vomited. In either case it may be possible for the 
blood to come from the throat. The patient must lie flat 
on the back without pillow, and must not move or speak. 
Food must be administered with a spoon. As the volume 
of blood must be kept as small as possible, but little fluid 
should be given. Use cracked ice to quench the thirst; 
alcohol may do harm. Beaten egg and meat powder, 
with small quantities of milk, should form the principal 
part of the diet. All fluids must be given cold, or only 
lukewarm. The prepared foods may be given with milk. 
Should there be nausea, rectal feeding must be substituted 
to prevent retching or vomiting. 

Measles. 
Measles is a contagious and infectious disease, mani- 
festing itself by an eruption of red spots accompanied by 
catarrh of the air passages and more or less fever. The 
eruption makes its appearance first on the face, then upon 
the neck, chest, over the body, and lastly upon the back 
of the hand, which usually requires four days from first 
appearance on the face. As it disappears it assumes more 
of a yellowish red. The spots are crescent-shaped, and 
from one-eighth to two -fifths of an inch in diameter, and 
are usually bright red. Sometimes the eruption is so thick 
as to entirely cover portions of the skin. In severe cases, 
where there is hemorrhage, black measles develop. Aver- 
age period of incubation is eight days. 



404 PNEUMONIA 

Symptoms. 

The first symptoms, eight to ten days after exposure, is 
a languid, chilly feeling, and in young children, convul- 
sions occasionally occur. There will be pain in front part 
of the head and general feeling akin to a severe cold in the 
head, and likely a constant watery and irritating dis- 
charge from the nose, with sneezing and coughing. Fever 
will be developed the second day and continue two to four 
days. 

Diet. 

Similar to that used in fevers. 

Pneumonia. 

This disease is an acute inflammation of the general 
structure of the lungs, which may invade any part of the 
entire lungs. 

Causes. 

It is probably due to a germ, but as it cannot find lodg- 
ment in a healthy person, it may be said to be due to ex- 
posure, cold and wet, bad air, over-eating, impoverished 
blood, especially where it is an incident to malaria, and 
neglect of skin. Habits which allow waste to accumulate 
in the system, make pneumonia possible with but very lit- 
tle exposure. It is now conceded to be an infectious dis- 
ease. 

Symptoms. 

It is usually preceded by a cold with accompanying 
aches and pains; these are followed by a chill, and a rapid 
rise of fever. 

Diet. 

Pneumonia is a disease of short duration in acute form, 
but it needs careful dietetic treatment. Vomiting must be 
guarded against. Milk, meat juice, the white of egg 
beaten, and whisky are mainly relied on. Cereals cooked 
as heretofore described may be malted and given in form 



SKIN DISEASES 405 

of gruels, without sugar. In convalescence an easily di- 
gested and nourishing diet will be necessary. 

Skin Diseases. 

Skin diseases are caused by parasites (such as itch), con- 
tagious and infectious diseases, diseases of the heart and 
blood vessels, nervous disorders, but most commonly by 
some form of starch or fat indigestion, or deficient elimin-' 
ation of nitrogenous waste. The principal investigator 
of uric acid diseases classes skin eruptions among them. 
Erythema, or Urticaria (Hives). 

This is the most common of all skin eruptions. There 
is also a form known as nettle rash, so well known it 
needs no description. 

Causes. 

They are caused by some article of diet, most usually 
oysters, lobsters, strawberries, bananas, sausage, rich 
gravy, mushrooms, cheese, and sometimes sour fruit. 
Bathe the eruption with soda water — small teaspoonful 
of soda to pint of water — and eat a plain cereal diet. 

Acne. 

This is an eruption of red pimples on the face, that do 
not readily disappear. 

Causes. 

Excess of fats or starch, doughnuts, sausage, fried 
meat, buckwheat cakes, or griddle cakes, pastry, excess of 
sugar. All over-rich or indigestible foods are bad and 
should be left out of the diet ; also tea, coffee and alco- 
hol in all forms. Little liquid should be drunk at meal 
time, but a glass of hot water a half hour before, when 
practicable, especially before breakfast, and before retir- 
ing at night will be beneficial, if not long continued. 

I Eczema. 

This is the most common of all skin diseases not of a 
transient nature, and begins with an inflamed patch which 



406 ECZEMA YELLOW FEVER 

often spreads. There are usually red pimples, but the red 
spots may only be swollen vesicles with watery discharges 
followed by thickening, scabbing, scaling and intense itch- 
ing. 

Cause. 

Excessive meat eating and other causes enumerated in 
acne. The same rules apply to diet. 

Yellow Fever. 

Yellow fever is an infectious disease of a violent char- 
acter that is caused by a specific germ which thrives in 
animal and vegetable matter. It is essentially a dis- 
ease of the tropics, and is rarely observed above40 degrees 
north and 20 degrees south latitude, and is always checked 
by cold weather. It is usually spread from one part to an- 
other by ships. The period of incubation is from twelve 
hours to four days. 

Symptoms. 

Commences with a chill, alternating with flushes of 
heat, gradually settling down into a regular fever. The 
skin varies from dark or swarthy yellow, to dark orange; 
bowels usually constipated in the beginning, followed by 
violent diarrhoea. As the disease progresses, pain in the 
stomach and bowels become severe, and they are sensitive 
to pressure. The most pronounced symptom is the black 
vomit, due to hemorrhages from the violent inflammation 
of the stomach, intestines, kidneys, spleen and liver. 
Nothing but predigested food should be given, until the 
most severe symptoms have subsided. Then the diet must 
be soft and easily digested. 

Laryngismus Stridulus — Spasmodic Croup. 

Spasmodic croup is the ordinary croup, in which the 
spasm affects the muscles of the larynx and makes breath- 
ing difficult, causing a wheezing sound at each respiration. 
The disease seldom affects any but children, although 



CROUP BLOOD POISONING 407 

hysterical persons and grown-up people having a catarrhal 
inflammation of the mucous membrane, are sometimes 
subject to it. It is said to be an ailment of the nerves, and 
is entirely reflex, so that the real trouble is to be found 
elsewhere, and most likely deranged digestion. 

Causes. 

Over-feeding, improper food, constipation, colds and 
teething. (See infant feeding and dietaries for children.) 
Septicaemia (Blood Poisoning). 

This is a constitutional disease due to poisoning from 
the absorption of pus into the blood. Bacteria are always 
present and enter the system from some local injury or 
decomposing tissue in the system, such as typhoid ulcers, 
sloughing membrane of throat in diphtheria, abdominal 
abscesses, decomposing placenta remaining in the womb 
after child-birth or miscarriage, suppuration in small-pox, 
and especially wounds made in handling dead bodies 
which are in an advanced state of putrefaction ; also likely 
to result where a large part of the skin has been burned, 
and from inflammations where pus is formed in consid- 
erable amount. 

Symptoms. 

Decided chill and rise in temperature, but often irregu- 
lar chills, followed by profuse and exhausting night 
sweats. Skin soon becomes dry and hot; pulse 120 to 
140, small and intermittent. Tongue at first coated with 
a white fur, later becomes glazed, dry, grayish-brown and 
cracked; skin slightly jaundiced, and usually diarrhoea. 

Prevention. 

Wash wounds with water that has been boiled, and in 
any disease which pus is formed, care must be taken to 
have it removed, that it may not be reabsorbed. 

Diet. 

Malted milk, malted cereals, pancreatinized meat pow- 
der, or eggs, and beef blood. 



408 WHOOPJNG COUGH SCROFULA 

Whooping cougli is an acute contagious disease and is 
primarily a catarrhal bronchitis or specific catarrh of the 
mucous membranes of respiratory tract, and attended by 
a peculiar laryngeal and bronchial spasm. It depends on 
a specific germ given off by the breath and conveyed 
through the air to the healthy. Incubation varies from 
five days to two weeks. It may be carried by clothing, 
and contracted by breathing infected air. The fever in 
early stage is intermittent, but great languor and restless- 
ness are common. 

The diet should be wholesome. (See infant feeding.) 

Scrofula. 

Scrofula is a disease which manifests itself in various 
parts of the body and is doubtless a blood disease. It 
most usually breaks out on the skin, but may affect the 
mucous membranes, bones, tissues, glands, and in fact al- 
most any part of the body may become diseased from 
scrofula. The tubercle bacilli are found in scrofulous 
sores, and it is not known whether it is the cause, or 
whether it appears after the disease, but it is now believed 
that tuberculosis and hereditary syphilis cover most or 
all cases of scrofula. Both the disease and a scrofulous 
tendency seem to be hereditary, as well as acquired, from 
improper feeding, and unsanitary surroundings. Scrofu- 
lous children usually have white skins, delicate blue veins 
large, lustrous eyes and show an irritable, nervous dis- 
position and premature brightness. 

Diet should consist of cereals, milk, eggs, and nuts. 

Pleurisy. 

Pleurisy is an inflammation of the investing membrane 
of the lungs. It is caused by some functional derange- 
ment of other organs of the body. 

Symptoms. 

Pleurisy usually begins with some sharp, stitch-like 



PLEURISY ERYSIPELAS 409 

pain Li the chest, which, for a time, increases with each 
breath. The pulse becomes quickened, the breathing is 
rapid and difficult. Temperature ranges from 100 to 104 
and is usually accompanied by a short, dry cough, that 
is very distressing. The attacks sometimes begin with a 
chill, and such cases are difficult to distinguish from pneu- 
monia. 

Diet. 

The derangement of other organs that cause pleurisy 
should be ascertained and the diet adapted. 

Erysipelas. 

Erysipelas is a contagious and infectious disease caused 
by micro-organisms. It usually first appears in wounds, 
but not always; for parts of the body supposed to be 
healthy may be first attacked. The local manifestations 
may be found in any of the lining membranes, but it is 
more likely to affect the skin and tissues beneath. It is 
highly contagious among surgical cases and women in 
child-birth. Buildings may remain infected an indefinite 
period. It may also be transmitted by atmosphere, cloth- 
ing, and in other ways. The part of the body having lo- 
cal symptoms will have a deep rose color, and it may be 
distinguished from rheumatism by the rapidity with which 
the inflammation spreads. 

Diet should be light and nourishing; such as milk, 
cream, meat juice, beaten or lightly boiled eggs, cereal 
gruels and nut puree. 

Apoplexy. 

Apoplexy is a haemorrhage or stoppage in the blood 
vessels of the brain. It may be preceded by dizziness, and 
sense of discomfort, or it may come suddenly. There is 
loss of consciousness and frequently death in a few min- 
utes depending on the size of the haemorrhage or clot on 
the brain. Paralysis is likely to follow, although it some- 



410 APOPLEXY MUMPS LOCKJAW 

times comes from softening of the brain and from dis- 
eases of the spinal cord. Great care is required in feed- 
ing, and food must be given in teaspoonful doses, and the 
ability of the patient to swallow noticed. In some cases 
it may be necessary to put a tube down the throat and 
feed through it, or feeding by the rectum may be resorted 
to. Give milk or egg lemonade, or beaten eggs and milk. 

Mumps. 

Mumps is a catarrhal inflammation of the parotid glands 
and may affect either or both. It is generally regarded 
as contagious, and is first manifested by swelling of the 
gland beneath the ear, fever and stiffness of the jaws. Fre- 
quently there are pains in the limbs and chilly sensations. 

Diet. 
Milk, gruel and broths. No solid foods should be given 
and the starches for gruels must be extra well cooked. 
Tetanus — Lockjaw. 

Lockjaw is a disease of the nervous system due to some 
specific bacillus that enters through a wound. It has re- 
ceived its name doubtless because of the muscular spasms 
which first affect the muscles of the jaw, and prevent open- 
ing of the mouth. It is supposed to be a disease of the 
spinal cord, but the change in its structure is so slight that 
examinations made after death do not fully reveal its 
real nature. It may result from as slight an injury as a 
splinter in the hand or foot, or from a small cut; may also 
attack women who have had a miscarriage or been con- 
fined, and newly-born children. The spasms have been 
known to be so violent as to break bones, and in bad cases 
patients have been drawn into an arch, bearing all their 
weight on the back of the head and heels. Such patients 
must be fed through a tube inserted between the teeth 
or through the nostrils. (See fevers.) 



TYPHOID FEVER 411 

Prevent Lockjaw. 

It is important that all wounds be cleansed, especially 
those caused by anything which may be poisonous, such 
as rusty nails or splinters from wood that has come in 
contact with dirt. The wound may be washed with water 
which has been boiled, then cleansed with turpentine — 
one part turpentine to ten of water. 

Typhoid Fever. 

Typhoid fever is a continuous fever, caused by an in- 
fectious poison, supposed to be due to a micro-organism, 
known as typhoid bacillus. The fever usually lasts about 
a month. 

How Acquired. 

It is believed that drinking impure water is the most 
usual source of typhoid fever, although epidemics have 
been traced to food, such as infected oysters and milk. 
The length of time required for its incubation is not very 
definite, but is supposed to require two or three weeks to 
develop; sometimes longer. The first symptoms are lan- 
guor, slight headache, pain in the limbs, muscular weak- 
ness, and a general feeling of indifference and malaise. 
These sensations are likely; to increase with the disease 
until the fever becomes quite manifest. It must be re- 
membered that many other ailments begin with similar 
symptoms so that it is difficult to determine with certainty 
when typhoid fever exists, until the more pronounced 
symptoms, peculiar to typhoid appear. The most im- 
portant of these perhaps are (1) temperature. In typhoid 
it rises with remarkable regularity from day to day, and 
is from one to two degrees higher in the evening than in 
the morning. (2) Pale red spots. Generally at the be- 
ginning of the second week, a number of small pale red 
spots called roseolae appear on the skin, especially on the 
chest and abdomen. There is also sensitiveness in right 



412 EFFECTS OF TYPHOID 

illiac region. The fever is now well established and all the 
premonitory symptoms will have disappeared. The face 
of the patient will -be flushed and will likely have a bright 
patch on the cheeks. Sometimes there is constipation 
but usually diarrhoea. 

Effects of the Disease. 

The typhoid bacillus attacks Peyer's patches and soli- 
tary follicles in the lower end of the ileum, just above the 
illeo-coecal valve — the entrance into the large intestines. 

About the end of the second week ulcerations are 
formed, where the bacilli are supposed to multiply and 
their poison taken up by the blood. The drowsiness 
and delirium characteristic of typhoid is the result of 
bacterial poison. 

From this brief explanation it will be readily under- 
stood why typhoid is such a serious malady. Ip. severe 
cases the mucous membrane erodes to such an extent, as 
to ulcerate and cause haemorrhage. This is not neces- 
sarily fatal, but is often so. 

The ulcers sometimes perforate the intestines and re- 
covery in such cases is very rare, indeed. 

Besides the direct danger from haemorrhage, patients 
die from exhaustion, and complications of other diseases, 
especially pneumonia, caused by the poisoned condition 
of the blood. 

In feeding typhoid cases the following facts must be 
borne in mind: 

(1) The patient's strength must be maintained. 

(2) The introduction of insoluble food, which may 
cause perforation, is strictly prohibited. 

(3) Food, which, owing to the diseased condition of 
the patient, cannot be digested, will probably cause fer- 
mentation and undue distention of the bowels, and haem- 
orrhage. 



DIET IN TYPHOID 413 

The matter of diet in typhoid fever is so important as 
to deserve extended notice. Most typhoid patients die 
of exhaustion or perforation of the bowels, which empha- 
sizes the importance of using great care in feeding. Milk 
may disagree with patients and resort must be had to 
other foods. Where there is nausea and foul stomach, 
lavage is often practiced with great benefit. 

Cereal gruels, cooked four hours or more and strained, 
are often well tolerated, especially if malt extract be 
added (made by steeping commercial malt in cold water 
for twelve hours). Fruit juices will make the various 
foods more palatable, and give variety. The beaten white 
of eggs in water, malted gruels, fruit juices and milk, 
buttermilk, koumys, about cover typhoid dietaries, except 
the prepared foods, which are often prescribed. 

The lower bowel may be evacuated, if there be consti- 
pation, by using an enema of tepid water, to the amount 
of one to two pints, which should be injected high up in 
the rectum. 

In convalescence, no solid food can be given for at 
least ten days or two weeks after the fever has ceased. Igno- 
rant but well meaning people have caused the death of 
many, by suggesting that this or that will not hurt the 
patient. They do not know that a little solid food or 
gaseous fermentation may cause perforation of the bow- 
els, and cause the death of the patient. To prevent im- 
prudence in diet, convalescents should be constantly 
watched, and no food or fruit should be left in their 
rooms. Pain and distention of the bowels call for imme- 
diate medical attention. 

Influenza — (La Grippe). 
Influenza is an infectious disease characterized by 
catarrh of the mucous membranes of the air passages, and 
alimentary canal. It is contagious, and the bacilli are 



414 INFLUENZA 

often present in great numbers, even after the severe 
symptoms have subsided. 

The period of incubation is one to four days. Attacks 
begin with slight fever, chilliness, headache, depression 
of spirits, pains in various parts of the body, and watery 
discharges from the nose. 

La grippe is liable to affect any organ of the body, and 
particularly the kidneys and nervous system. Isolation 
should be practiced when possible, and old people and 
invalids should be especially guarded from infection. 
Death may result from heart failure or pneumonia. 

Diet. 

In this disease it is desirable for the patient to eat as 
much wheat phosphates as possible, as nearly all per- 
sons who are seriously afflicted with la grippe have im- 
poverished blood. If no diarrhoea exists, wheat bran 
boiled four hours, dried and roasted until brown and then 
ground to fine flour and eaten with milk, or milk and 
beaten egg, will give surprising results. As soon as im- 
provement begins the patient should have all the nourish- 
ing food that can be digested. Cream, nut oils, malted 
nuts, cereal foods well cooked, dry bread, toast and 
meat powder may be added to the dietary. The exces- 
sive use of coffee helps keep up the nervousness in this 
disease. 



CHAPTER XXXL 

WHAT TO DO IN ACCIDENTS AND 

EMERGENCIES. 

When a large blood vessel is opened, death may so 
quickly result, that it is very important to know what to 
do to stop the flow of blood, without delay. When there 
is a cut or wound, the blood may either be a bright scar- 
let or darker hue. The first is arterial blood and comes 
from the arteries direct from the heart. The darker is 
venous, comes from the veins, and is returning to the 
heart. Various means of arresting the flow of blood 
may be tried. The most generally useful one and the 
one most readily applied, is compression. Pressure may 
be applied in various ways. The pressure of the hands 
may be used to control the flowing blood until other* 
means more effectual can be secured. Anything in the 
way of a belt cord, strap, or handkerchief, when drawn 
tight enough above the wound will stop the flow. Even 
a rope of hay or grass quickly twisted together will 
answer, if in the field or on the highway. Should the 
pressure not be sufficient, it may be increased by placing 
a short stick under the bandage and twisting the band- 
age upon itself. Other methods are sometimes neces- 
sary and may be tried. The old time remedy of a spider 
web is probably a successful, but by no means safe method, 
for while it may arrest hemorrhage it may poison the 
wound. Turpentine may be used and besides tending to 
check hemorrhage it also cleanses the wound. In case 
of punctured wound where pressure cannot be effectually 
applied, the wound may be plugged with clean linen, satu- 
rated with turpentine and water, one part to ten. Strong 

415 



416 NOSE BLEEDING 

salt solution, may be used in absence of turpentine. 
Cold, in the form of ice, or very cold water may be 
applied to wounds and adjacent structures. 
Hemorrhage from the Nose. 

Hemorrhage or bleeding from the nose, while rarely 
a dangerous symptom, is frequently so severe as to cause 
great anxiety to the patient and to his friends. Slight 
hemorrhage sometimes occurs in those of robust consti- 
tution, and in a few moments ceases spontaneously. Such 
cases need no treatment, but where the bleeding is fre- 
quent, or in great quantity, the nostrils should be exam- 
ined and the cause, if possible removed. The immediate 
methods popularly supposed to be efficient is snuffing 
cold water up the nostrils. This is a measure of doubtful 
benefit. Pressure on the soft part of the nostrils for about 
five minutes will frequently control the most severe hem- 
orrhage. Vinegar is sometimes used for the same pur- 
pose with good effect. Water may be used at times with 
excellent results, and does most good in the form of a 
hot foot bath. Cold to back of neck is also good. 

Hemorrhage from the lungs may be confounded with 
hemorrhage from the stomach, but the following points 
will serve to distinguish between the two: That from 
the lungs comes on suddenly or with but little warning 
to the patient. The blood is coughed up and usually 
preceded by a tickling sensation in the throat; the blood 
is bright colored and frothy. Hemorrhage from the stom- 
ach is usually preceded by a long existing stomach or 
intestinal trouble. The blood is usually vomited up and 
mixed with particles of food, but is not frothy. In pul- 
monary hemorrhage the patient should 'be placed at rest, 
and ice or cloths dipped in ice water, applied to the chest 
and neck. Stimulants should not be gwen. The recum- 
bent position should be maintained and the patient for- 



FRACTURES. 417 

bidden to move a muscle. Life is not often endangered 
and slight hemorrhages cease spontaneously. 

In hemorrhage from the stomach, the patient may be 
laid across the bed with the feet hanging down, and as 
in pulmonary hemorrhage, should be kept perfectly quiet 
Small pellets of ice may be swallowed and cold cloths 
placed over the stomach. Iced alum whey should be given 
every few minutes. 

Fractures. 

By fracture, we mean a break in a bone or cartilage. 
When the ends of the bone are driven through the skin, 
or an opening made that permits the atmosphere to enter, 
it is compound, and where a nerve, artery or vein is in- 
jured, a complicated fracture. The immediate treatment 
is much the same. The first thing to do is to place the 
limb in as nearly a natural position as possible. This 
should be done carefully and gently lest surrounding 
tissues, arteries, and nerves be injured. After placing the 
limb in position it should be so maintained by means of 
splints, or pieces of board. When a leg has been broken, 
it may be. tied to the other. If on the road or in the fie ] d, 
and no other means are obtainable this will be found a 
very useful expedient. A broken leg requires that the 
support should extend at least to or above the middle 
of the thigh. The latter would be better. 

When the thigh is broken, if it is possible to secure 
one, have the splint extended to the armpits. A broken 
forearm should be bent at the elbow and extended across, 
and the palm of the hand toward the body, and should be 
maintained in this position. A fractured arm may be 
tied to the body, or to a splint extending its whole length. 
If bandages cannot be secured use may be made of hand • 
kerchiefs, or even ropes of straw, or grass may be made 
to do duty. Where ropes or short bandages are used, 



418 POISONING 

they should be tied above and below the fracture, leaving 
it unbound for two or three inches either way. The 
splint for the thigh should be tied to the body just below 
the armpit, around the waist, and several times between 
the waist and foot. A shirt may be torn up for bandages. 
In removing the clothing from a broken limb it is best 
to cut it. 

Poisoning. 
Poisoning requires prompt and effective treatment, and 
the patient's life depends largely upon the length of time 
that has elapsed between the taking of the poison, and 
the administration of an appropriate antidote. The first 
and most necessary thing in poisoning by opium, arsenic, 
phosphorus, or strychnia, is to empty the stomach. The 
patient should be encouraged to take large draughts of 
mustard and water, if readily obtainable, but it is better 
to use salt water, or even warm water, than wait for 
something better. If none of these are at hand, or do not 
produce copious vomiting, it should be induced if possible, 
by tickling the throat with the finger, or better still, if at 
hand, a feather. Should the patient's hair be long enougli, 
it will probably do as well as a feather. Large quantities 
of liquids hold the poison in solution, distend the .stomach 
and make the vomiting 'more effective, if quickly pro- 
duced. When opium has been taken, and the stomach 
emptied, the patient should be given frequent draughts 
of strong coffee, and kept constantly moving about, if 
able, but if not, apply cold water and maintain artificial 
respiration. In strychnia poisoning, administer sedatives. 
The best ones for this purpose are bromide of potassium 
of sodium, and should be given at once in forty grain 
doses. If neither of these are quickly obtainable, prepara- 
tions of opium such as laudanum of paregoric — usually 
found in every household — may be substituted. In cases 



POISONING BURNS 419 

of poisoning from arsenic, rat poison or paris green, the 
patient should be given sulphate of magnesia and salt, 
and kept at rest. The antidote for phosphorus poisoning, 
after vomiting, is a small dose of sulphate of copper, and 
a large dose of magnesia. Do not give oil. Milk and 
whites of eggs are of value in most cases of poisoning. In 
poisoning by acids, and alkalies, we have not only the 
systemic effects to deal with, but also their more painful 
and destructive local action. They very rapidly destroy 
the lining membranes of the mouth, oesophagus and 
stomach, and if their action is not quickly arrested, eat 
rapidly into deeper tissues. 

Vomiting in these cases should not be employed, be- 
cause the burning of the oesophagus incident to vomiting, 
will likely do greater harm. Chemical antidotes should 
be given as quickly as possible. The violent efforts at 
vomiting may cause rupture or hemorrhage of the 
stomach, if the destruction of tissue has been extensive 
In poisoning by mineral acids, solutions of bicarbonate of 
soda (baking soda), or chalk, should be given, and when 
these cannot be obtained quickly, plaster from the walls 
may be used. In carbolic acid poisoning, give sulphate 
of magnesia or soda, and olive oil or melted fat — lard, 
butter, etc. In poisoning by lye give weak acids, such 
as vinegar or lemon juice, and fats and oils. 

Burns. 

Burns and scalds are painful accidents of frequent oc- 
currence. They may vary in extent from a slight burn, 
destroying or inflaming a small portion of the skin to very 
extensive ones which destroy all the tissues of a part. The 
first thing to be done is to remove the clothing. This 
should be done as carefully as possible, so as not to de- 
stroy the blister formed. The burned parts should be 
shielded from the air at once. For this purpose, sprinkle 



420 HYSTERICS 

over the burned surface, until it is completely hidden, flouf 
or baking soda. White lead makes an excellent covering. 
After a burn has been dressed, it should then be covered 
warmly, but lightly. Care should be taken to prevent 
pressure on or near the burned part. The use of cold 
water is beneficial and grateful to burns. The part or 
parts affected, may be immersed in cold water as soon 
as possible after the burn, and kept there for from fifteen 
minutes to half an hour, depending upon the intensity of 
the burn. 

Linseed oil and lime water or bicarbonate of soda, may 
then be applied to good advantage. Any pure oil is use- 
ful, as it protects the burn from the air. 

Burns from acids may be relieved by applying baking 
soda or soap; burns from lye may be relieved by vinegar. 

The effect of prolonged cold is to stop the circulation of 
the blood, which is followed by loss of feeling in the in- 
jured parts. 

The circulation in the part frozen, should be re-estab- 
lished gradually, and this is best done by keeping the 
patient in a cold room and rubbing vigorously with snow 
or cold water. In severe cases of freezing, there is dan- 
ger of gangrene of the part affected. 

Hysterics. 

Hysterics may be defined as a nervous explosion. It is 
probably best treated in mild attacks, by taking no notice 
of it, or by attracting the patient's attention to something 
in which she may be much interested. Rubbing the limbs 
and chest will afford great relief. 

In fainting, nature assures the patient taking the best 
position possible, from the fact that the patient falls and 
lies in a horizontal position until consciousness returns. 
If for any reason, the patient has not fallen into such a 
position, he should at once be laid down. 



DROWNING 421 

Do not attempt to raise a person who has fallen in a 
faint, but let him lie, and loosen the clothing about the 
neck and chest. 

The face may be sprinkled with cold water. 

Drowning. 

All clothing should be loosened. The patient should be 
placed over a barrel, or the feet elevated, in fact, stood on 
his head for a few minutes ; this should be done even in 
the seemingly most hopeless cases, and no effort should 
be spared in the attempt to restore consciousness. After 
he has been rolled on the barrel, or otherwise emptied of 
water, artificial respiration should be tried. The patient 
should be laid on the back, with shoulders elevated, a 
coat, shawl, or stick of wood, will answer the purpose. 
Anything that may have found entrance into the mouth 
should be removed by inserting the ringer, and it would 
be well to always make an examination in this way. The 
tongue should then be drawn out of the mouth and held. 

To practice artificial respiration, kneel down above the 
head, grasp both elbows, bring them horizontally from 
the sides over the head, until they almost meet, then pull 
strongly for a few seconds, return them to the sides and 
press with force against the ribs. The movement should 
then be repeated, until natural respiration has been re- 
stored. As soon as possible the patient should be given 
stimulants. It is always important that he be kept warm. 

Gas Poisoning. 

Persons are overcome by the impure air of deep wells, 
and other foul places, as well as by ilduminating gas. The 
treatment is the same in all cases of this character. The 
patient should be placed in the open air, and if in a room, 
the windows and doors should be opened at once, the 
patient's clothing loosened, and artificial respiration as in 



422 SHOCK 

drowning practiced. Whisky or brandy may also be 
given. 

Epilepsy. 

Epilepsy requires the same treatment as fainting, except 
that care must be taken to prevent biting the tongue; this 
may be done by placing a handkerchief or piece of wood 
between the teeth. 

Shock. 

Shock follows injuries from violence. The patient 
should be covered with warm, but light coverings, and the 
bodily temperature maintained by means of hot water ap- 
plications. Bottles or tins filled with water and placed 
at the feet and armpits and other portions of the body, is 
the most convenient form of applying heat. The patient 
should lie with head lower than the body. Stimulants in 
the form of liquors or strong coffee may be given, and if 
the patient is unable to swallow, the liquor may be mixed 
with water, one part to three, and injected into the rectum. 



INDEX. 



423 



Anaemic Women, 247, 386; diet for 

388. 
Acids, effect on starch, 249, 
Accidents that cause bleeding, 415. 
Acne, 405. 
Absorption, 35. 
Aged, diet for, 260. 
Apoplexy, 409. 
Apricot, 1C2. 

Apples, 185; apple cider, 186. 
Appetite not a guide, 226, 290. 
Arrow root, 104. 
Artichoke, 110. 

Asparagus, its properties, 103. 
Asphyxiation, drowning, gas, 421. 
Asthma, 388. 
Alcoholic liquors, effect* of on empty 

stomach, 38 ; general effects, 219 to 

222. 
Athletes, diet for, 261-2-3. 
B 

Banana, 195-6. 

Barley and barley water, 88, malt, 88. 

Beans, 99 ; why cause flatulence, 101 ; 
value as food, 102 ; acids and beans, 
102; bean soup, 103; string beans, 
103; beans for sick headache; 103; 
string beans for constipation, 103. 

Beaumont's experiments, 22. 

Beef, 151; beef fat, 152; how used, 
waste, and how excreted, 152; beef 
tea, 156. 

Beet, 108. 

Bile in digestion, 33. 

Bilious attacks, 340. 

Biscuit, 61, 66. 

Bleeding, how to stop, 415. 

Blackberries, 104. 

Blood poisoning, 407. 

Brains as food, 157. 

Bread, 53 ; elements of, 54 ; proportion 
of heat and tissue formers, 55; re- 
fined flour, 56; hot and cold 61; 
doughy bread, pancakes, etc., 62; 
faults in making, 62; fresh, stale 
and toast bread, 63; kinds of, 64; 
crackers, 67; rye bread 75; corn 
bread, 75 ; bread and meat 79. 

Bright's disease, 375 ; diet in, 376. 



Buckwheat, 78. 
Burns, 419. 

Butter, 145; effects of cooking, 146; 
buttermilk, 146. 

C 

Cabbage, 106; uses, 107. 

Cake, 61. 

Cancer, 343, 352. 

Cauliflower. 108. 

Carrots, 1C8. 

Catarrh of stomach, 340, 

Cathartics increase constipation 359. 

Cellulose, per cent in food, 2 

Celery, 113, 

Cereals and aeids, 80. 

Cereal coffee, 213. 

Cereals, roasted, 270. 

Cheese, 147; incompatible with acid« 

and tea, 147-8. 
Cherry, 192. 
Chicken, 164. 
Chocolate, 218. 
Citron, 200. 

Classification of foods, 41. 
Cocoa, 217. 

Coffee, 214 ; inebriety, 215. 
Condiments, 207. 
Corn, elements, 76; cheapest, 269. 
Corn bread, 75 ; mush, 76 ; starch, 76 ; 

green corn, 76; hominy grits, 77; 

parched, 78; pop corn, 78. 
Crackers, 67. 
Cranberries, 194. 
Cream, 141: most useful fat, 142; 

evaporated cream 149; ice cream, 

149; use in ulcer, 149; 
Croup, 406. 
Currants, 195. 
Cold, cause of, S19, 397; how to cure 

398. 
Constipation, effects of in puberty, 

247; defined, 357; causes, 358; effects 

359; cathartics increase, 359; bran 

in, 361; laxative foods, 361; exercise 

hot and cold douches; 362, 
Consumption, 379; diet in, 380. 
Confinement, diot in, 254. 



D 



Dates, 199. 



424 



INDEX. 



Deformity from dress, 329-30-31-32. 

Diabetes, lettuce in, 113; origin of, 
377; diet, 378. 

Diarrhoea, causes, 362-3; diet in, 364 
chronic, 364. 

Dietetic errors, 257-8; diet in labor, 
274; when vegetable preferable to 
meat, 134; diet for aged, 260-1; for 
athletes. 261-2-3. 

Dietaries, 271-2-3-4; with meat once a 
day, 272-3; laborer's diet, 271-4; 
without meat, 274-5; in acute dis- 
eases, general principles, 311; un- 
suitable, 320. 

Digestion, what it is, 14; uses of sali- 
va, 15; salivary glands, 16; temper- 
ature of salivary,17; foul mouth, 18; 
period of, 27 to 30; temperature, 29; 
of fats, 27; mind and, 29; tea in, 30; 
pancreatic juice in, 32; bile in. 33; 
intestinal glands in, 35; in large 
intestines ?5; essentials of, 36; ex- 
ercise and, 40 ; effects of cold drinks 
48; experiments on St. Martin, 21; 
food leaves the stomach, 23; gastric 
digestion, 25; uses of foods easy 
and difficult, 100; salt meat, pork, 
162; when fruit aids, 182. 

Diphtheria, 402. 

Dilatation of stomach, 349; cut show- 
ing prominence of, 350; symptoms 
many and varied. 352; diet in, 353; 
soup not suitable in, 103. 

Disease, imagination and, 293; a hu- 
morous illustration, 293-4 causes 
of, 316; s elf-inflicted, 317; overwork 
waste, 318. 

Doughnuts, 61. 

Drinking folly, 323. 

Dress as cause of disease, 327. 

Drowning, 421. 

Drugs, taken by mother affects 
nursing child, 255, abuse of, 326. 

Dysentery, 365. 

E 

Eczema, 405. 

Eggs, 167, too little waste, 168; prop- 
erties, 168; egg lemonade, cooking, 
166. 

Elderberries, 144. 



Epilepsy, 387, 422, 

Erysipelas, 409. 

Erythema, 405. 

Exercise, 319. 

F 

Fats, fat and flesh 169 ; use, 170 ; foods 
that produce 170; why fats disagree. 

Feeding the sick, 307; requisites, 307- 
8; frequency of, 399; unconscious 
patients, 310; water and air, 3i0; 
preparation of foods, 311-12; fruits 
for, 313; drinks, 313-14, 

Fractures, 417. 

Flour, refined, 56; Graham, 59; entire 
wheat, 59-60. 

Food, indigestible necessary, 57; 
wheat called perfect, 58; breakfast 
Ralston, 68; Granose, 70; Granola, 
72; crystal wheat, 72; gluten, biscuit 
Gofio, zwieback, germ, 73; malted 
gluten, 74; when vegetable foods, 
134; growth and hard labor, 258; re- 
quired for different conditions, 259; 
heat or force producing value,tab!e, 
263; food equivalents j 267-8; cheap- 
est meal, 269; average meal, 270; 
analyses, table, 277-286; why food 
disagrees with people, 288; incom- 
patible foods, 325; irritating sub- 
stances, drugs, irregular habits, 
326; laxative foods, 361. 

Figs, 199. 

Fish, 165; shell fish, 166. 

Fowl, 164, wild game, 164. 

Fruits, 175, proper uses, 176; secon- 
dary effects , 177; why fruit cleanses, 
when harmful, I78;excessive acidity 
of stomach, 179; effects of tainted 
frnit, 180-1; fruits aid digestion 
when, 182: when to eat, 183; apple, 
185; peach, 187; pear, 188; grape. 189; 
quince, 190; plum, 191; cherry, apri- 
cot, strawberry ,192; astringent ber- 
ries, 194; banana, 196; lemon for 
toilet, 197; orange and pineapple, 
198; lime, dates, figs, 199; how pre- 
served, 200; analyses, 285. 



G 



Game, 164. 
Garlic, 118. 



INDEX. 



425 



Gastric glands, i_ 

Gastric juice, effect* on starch and 
cellulose, 27. 

Gastritis, 3<i0; diet In, 341. 

Ginger ale. 223. 

Girls, what they should be taught, 247 

Gooseberries, 194. 

Grape, 189. 

Greens, 115. 

H 

Habits cause idiosyncrasies, 288. 

Haemorrhage, 403, 415; from the 
nose, 416. 

Headache, 394. 

Heartburn, 179. 

Heart disease, 333, 382-3; failure, 884. 

Heat and cold, 334. 

Hives, 405. 

Hominy, 77. 

Hot and cold douches in constipa- 
tion. 362. 

Hyperchlorhydria and hypersecre- 
tion, 343, diet in, 345. 

Hysterics, 420 

I 

Iceland moss, 106. 

Idiosyncrasy and idiosyncraiia, 287; 
Cla66es of, 288: due to habits, 289-90; 
popular errors, 290; idiosyncrasia, 
296-7-8. 

Immorality, cause of, 293. 

Influenza, 413. 

Infant feeding. 225; no instinct, 226; 
table of quantity and feedings for 
different ages, 227; artificial feeding, 
228; nursing bottles, 233; when milk 
disagrees, 238; broths, gruels, 234 ; 
weaning, 235; after weaning, 236; 
prohibited foods, 237; euitaole 
foods, 238; first period, 239; second 
period, 240; third period, 240-1; in- 
fant mortality, 241; children's diet- 
aries, 242-3, results of improper 
feeding, 292. 

Insomnia, food for, 39; cause of, 381. 

Intestines, structure, 31; glands, 34: 
peristaltic action, 35; disease, 333, 
857; constipation, 357-362; diarrhoea 
363; dysentery, piles, intestinal in- 
digestion, 365. 



Indigestion, bread a cause, 60; defi- 
cient or excessive secretion, 288-9* 
foods that cause, 291; causes, 315; 
exercise, 319; unsuitable diet, 320: 
overeating, 320-1; imperfect masti- 
cation, 322; drinking, 323; foul 
mouths, 324; deficient diet, 324; in- 
compatible foods, too little food, 
325; caused by faulty dre6s, 327; 
other diseases, 333; heat, cold, light 
334; constipation, 357, 

Introductory, 1. 

Individual responsibility, 4. 

J 

Jaundice, 372. 

Kidney diseases, 375. 

Kohlrabi, 110. 

Knowledge of food of first import- 
ance, 11; essential to proper living 
292. 

LaGrippe, 413. 

Leanness, 389; diet in, 390. 

Legumes, 99. 

Lemon, 197. 

Lettuce, 113. 

Lobster, 167. 

Lockjaw, 410. 

Lime, fruit, 199. 

Lime, water, 140. 

Liver as food, 167; functions, 369; 
diseases of, 333, 369; symptions and 
diet, 372-3. 

M 

Macaroni, 67. 

Malaria, 333, 399. 

Malt, 88; Malt extract, 343. 

Meat, use and abuse, 131-2-3; prop- 
erties, 161; composition, 151; sav- 
ages as meat eaters, 153; diseases 
due to excessive meat eating, 153; 
food of athletes, 153-4; fried meat, 
154-5; cooking meat, 155-6; meat 
powder, 156; why it spoils so quick- 
ly* 159; salt meat, 162; ham, bacon, 
fresh pork, 163; fowl, 164. 

Meals, frequency of, 36; principal 
one, 38; at bedtime, 39. 

Mental impressions, pre-natal and 
post-natal,293; humorous examples 
293-4-5; will in overcoming, 296. 



426 



INDEX, 



Minerals in the system, 42; foods 
mast contain them, 43. 

Milk, 137; human, analysis, 138; why 
milk disagrees, 139; alkaline di- 
luents, 139; cereal diluents, 140; 
boiling, 140 ; gelatine, 141; acids and 
milk, 141; milk infection, 142; Pas- 
teurizing, 143; sterilizing, 144; food 
for children, 144; proper use, 145; 
goat's milk, 145; condensed milk, 
malted milk, 149; milk shake, 150. 

Morality, and physical life, 293. 

Mouth, care of, 309; foul, 324. 

Mulberry, 1q5. 

Mumps, 410. 

Mutton, 15g. 

N 

Nephritis, 375; diet in 376. 

Nervous dyspepsia 336; symptoms, 
337; diet in, 339. 

CNose bleeding, 416. 

jNursing, drugs in, 255; diet in and at 
weaning, 256. 

Nuts, peanuts, 202;chestnuts,pecans, 
walnuts, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, 
203; cocoanuts, 204; nut foods, 204-5- 
6; analysis, 286. 
O 

Oats, 81; oat meal irritating, 81; cook- 
ing, 82; how to eat, 84: flavoring, 86; 
when not to eat, 87; awds and oat- 
meal, 88. 

Obesity, 391; effects of fat, 392; diet 
in, 392-8-4. 

Orange, 198. 

Overeating, how to prevent, 248; 
cause of indigestion* 320. 

Onion, 116 ; onion breath, 117. 

Oysters, 1S6. 

P 

Pain, causes, 299; sensitiveness, 300; 
neglected, effect of, 300 ; reflex, 301 ; 
bo natural. 301 ; painless diseases 
302;misleading, 303; duration of, 304'» 
how to prevent, 304-5. 

Pancreas, functions, 32; as food 157; 
diseases, 367. 

Parental folly, 292. 

Farsnip, 109, 

Peristaltic movement, 35. 



Peas, 99; with other foods, 102: p«as 
and acids, 102. 

Peach, 187. 

Pear, 188. 

Peanuts, 202. 

Pepper, 119, 207, 

Piles, 365. 

Pine apples, 198. 

Pleurisy, 408. 

Plum, 191, 

Pneumonia, 404, 

Poisoning, 418. 

Pork, 161, fat and lean meat, 162. 

Potato, 91; properties and uses, 81; 
digestibility, £2; fried potatoes, 92; 
methodr of cooking, 93; potato sal- 
ad, 94; Potato and meat, 94; po- 
tato starch, 94; why popular 94. 

Potato, sweet, 95; a rich food, 95. 

Pregnancy, 334; vomiting in, 339. 

Pre-natal influences, 248; fruit diet 
makes easy child birth, 249. 
dietaries, 250: few varieties of 
food at each meal, 254; pre -natal 
impressions, 293; 

Puberty, increased demands in, 245; 
lack of care in, 246; causes of wom- 
an's ills, 246; diet, 247. 

Pumpkin, 118. 

Q 

Quince, 189, 

B 

Rice, 95; extensively used, g5; health- 
fulness of, q6; compared with pota- 
to, 96; flavoring, 97. 

Rickets, 385. 

Radish, llg. 

Raspberries, 144. 

Root beer, 223. 

Rheumatism, 395. 
S 

Sago, 105; sago milk, 105, 

Salsify, 110. 

Saliva, 16; prevents sta "ges» 

tion. 270. 

Salt, 208, 

Scarlet fever, 400. 

Scrofula, 408. 

Septicaemia, 407. 

Shock, 422. 

Sick, feeding, ?Q7 



INDEX. 



427 



Skit Diseases, 405. 

Sleeplessness, 381. 

Smell, sense of, peculiarities, 290-7-8 

Soda water, 222. 

Soup, canned, 280. 

Sour krout, 107. 

Spices, 209-10; uses. 

Stomach, cuts, 20, 351; digestion in, 
26; inadequate for present usage. 
•'15; food remains in, 27; removed 
from dogs, 20; excess; ve acidity, 
179; diseases of. 335; nervous dys- 
pepsia, 336; diet in, 339, gastritis, 
340 ; diet in, 34i; excessive secretion 
343; diet in, 345; ulcer. 346; cancer, 
348; dilated stomach, cuts, 350-1; 
diet in. 353-4-5. 

Stimulants, effects of, 212-13. 

Strawberry, 192. 

Stricture of pylorus, 351. 

Suicide universal, 6. 
Sweetbread, 157. 

Sugar. 125; injury from, Tic- candy, 
128. 

T 

Table showing force producing 
value of food. 263; of tissue food, 

264 | 

Tapioca, 104. 

Tea, 215; effect on digestion, 80- in 



uric acid. diathesis, 216. 
Tetanus, 410. 
Tom-tto, 111; an appetizer. 112; how 

to use, 112, 
Tongue as food, 168. 
Tonsilitis, 397. 
Tripe; 157. 

Tuberculosis, 379; diet in. 380. 
Turkey, 104. 
Turnip, 109. 

Typhoid fever, 411; effects, 412; diet 
413. 

V 
Vegetables, coarse, value as food 

271, 

Vegetarianism, 129; mistaken notions 

about vegetable foods, 130; reason 

for alleged failures of vegetable 

diet, 133. 
Venison, 159. 
Vinegar, 209. 
Viscera, 159. 

W 
Waste in foods, 278, 284, of the body. 

318, too little, 325. 
Water. 44; sources of impurities, 46; 

quantity required, 46; ice water, 4?; 

cracked ice. 47; hot water as drink 

49, 
Water closets defective, *62. 
Wheat, the nearest perfect food. 68 
Whooping cough, 408, 




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